A Conversation for British Vehicle Registration Plates
How I miss them
Wand'rin star Started conversation Apr 6, 2001
In HK we haven't used many letters yet. Despite the gridlocked rush hour there haven't actually been all that many cars licensed here. I saw a posh Jag last night " X 789" Here we have the complication that people want lucky numbers in their personalised plates - anything with a 4 is unwanted because the word for death sounds a bit like it.
I miss being able to recognise PEE for Cleethorpes and other ruder combinations (the DVLA didn't catch them all)
BTW bicycles are licensed in China: when I had a bike in Shanghai there were 13 million bike licences. I guess you can tell from all this that I like4 the article. Congratulations 
How I miss them
Bluebottle Posted Apr 6, 2001
The Isle of Wight may not have it's own Number Plate system, but it has its own registration codes. All Isle of Wight cars are registered "DL". When the new system was proposed, the Island had a huge outcry when it was learned that the Island was to be classified as "H" for Hampshire. After much petitioning and protests, Parliament eventually backed down and decided that Island registered cars would have a seperate prefix - HW.
Oh, and I have seen "Z" registered vehicles in the UK - although they have all been 1940s military vehicles.
<BB<
How I miss them
parrferris Posted Apr 6, 2001
This also brings up the issue of military registrations. These use the format 11 XX 11, for instance 12 RN 42. I don't know the actual workings of this system, although I think the letters refer to the service or regiment. Anyone better informed on this?
How I miss them
Pete, never to have a time-specific nick again (Keeper of Disambiguating Semicolons) - Born in the Year of the Lab Rat Posted Apr 7, 2001
I think the registration letters Q and Z are used for kit cars and things like that. Z doesn't look like anything else now, does it?
There is (or at least used to be) a small APC up the road from where I live that has a Q registration. I don't think it's in service. I also saw a sports car that was Q-reg, quite some time ago now.
How I miss them
GreyDesk Posted Apr 7, 2001
Z is used in Northern Ireland. My Irish mates all think its hysterical having English people paying good money for a plate to drive around in Surrey, when they could get one for free if they bought their car in Belfast.
Key: Complain about this post
How I miss them
More Conversations for British Vehicle Registration Plates
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."