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Shortest UK car number plate you've seen
- Thread starter GusB
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High Dyke
Established Member
Spotted JD 4 on an Aston Martin in Raynes Park this morning.
DelW
Established Member
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A five digit plate sounds like Guernsey to me?I've seen DUG 1 many years on a old Rolls Royce. Even took a picture with it I recall. Just cannot find it. In the meantime I have a 5 digit plate which represents my initials and my name too. You figure!
If so, I could be pedantic and say that it's non UK
Or I might of course be wrong!
I think you are being 'pedantic' but for clarification, four letters and one digit then. Does that please you?A five digit plate sounds like Guernsey to me?
If so, I could be pedantic and say that it's non UK
Or I might of course be wrong!
High Dyke
Established Member
Another spot. 17 JJ. Parked outside St Pancras Station.
Picture shows a McLaren car.
Picture shows a McLaren car.
DelW
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Ah, gotcha, in that case I don't knowI think you are being 'pedantic' but for clarification, four letters and one digit then. Does that please you?
Peter Sarf
Established Member
Gosh I remember seeing that there last year. I bet it is a regular - back in the days of 45s I would have been walking up that ramp from Euston regularly but now I miss the grand frontage and slip in the side !. I will have to check.
There various newspaper articles on it, as well as a Reddit thread, where someone identified the owner (and then removed the name on request). Its a car that is owned by someone who lives in an apartment in the hotel.
Does anyone know if there are any single character number plates in the UK? So something like "A" or "B" or "1" or "2" etc on its own? From reading this thread everything seems to be two characters minimum? So i am wondering if single character number plates do actually exist?
Spamcan81
Member
A quick check shows it not currently allocated to a vehicle.
There's a traction engine local to me registered FU92. Short but certainly not the impact of FU2.
I saw that reg. Believe it used to be owned by an ex racing driver.
DelW
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As far as I know, UK numbers have always been a minimum of a letter and a digit, starting from A1.
Guernsey has numeric only plates, so it's possible that some or all of 1 - 9 might still be in use. I think they issue plates to people rather than vehicles, but if that's right, I assume they can be transferred or inherited, otherwise those early numbers will have disappeared.
Guernsey reg “1” is reserved for the Bailiff of Guernsey, who is the civic head of the community and also the head of the legal system there.
However, the car it is on is unlikely to leave Guernsey, and therefore won’t be seen in the UK.
Spamcan81
Member
Steve Parrish. Raced motorbikes up to GP level and then turned to truck racing.
Not a short number but a few years ago someone local to me had BOL1OX.
birchesgreen
Established Member
Saw O-65 on Saturday, though this was a Clement Panhard at the Birmingham Museum Collection depot. Registered in 1904!
Spamcan81
Member
A flurry of four character registration plates noted in the past 36 hours.
90GB Jaguar and 50EB Freelander both parked outside the same house so someone's flush.
51CB on a Bentley
45LN Mercedes
HF63 Range Rover Evoque
90GB Jaguar and 50EB Freelander both parked outside the same house so someone's flush.
51CB on a Bentley
45LN Mercedes
HF63 Range Rover Evoque
Parks of Hamilton have 2WR
PaulHarding150
Member
Plates that I have personally seen:
HB1 - Owned by Merthyr Council
KG1 - Owned by Cardiff Council
HB1 - Owned by Merthyr Council
KG1 - Owned by Cardiff Council
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
In the 1970s I did see FU2 owned by Fiona Richmond
ExRes
Established Member
EMR drivers getting good money these days then
QSK19
Member
Indeed, though the number and digit can be the other way round. Letter followed by number tends to be original issues; whereas number followed by letter tend to be DVLA money spinners (although there are numerous authorities that did issue number(s) followed by letter.
The ones I like most are single letters followed by numbers. Examples I’ve seen are:
- O 4
- T 4
- U 1 (Leeds Mayoral car)
- 1 U
- F 15
- D 27
- D 28
- 90 R
- A 233
- S 186
- D 717
- 123 U
4 characters or less are the best because you cannot form a date identifying plate with less than 5 characters.
No, as others have said, some areas started issuing before London (Jan 1904), two examples being Edinburgh and Kent (December 1903).
Rumour has it (from the number plate enthusiast community) that DY 1 was the first plate issued - Hastings apparently opened their office and got the paperwork done minutes earlier than elsewhere.
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Purple Train
Established Member
The shortest I've seen is 3 SY - on a BMW. Presumably a "DVLA money spinner".
Not a short one but it did make me smile - MY W4Y, on another BMW! There's an indicator joke in there somewhere but I can't quite make it work!
Not a short one but it did make me smile - MY W4Y, on another BMW! There's an indicator joke in there somewhere but I can't quite make it work!
There is a vehicle with the numberplate FK02YES, was on the Freelander Matt of Furious Driving acquired but he sold the plate.A quick check shows it not currently allocated to a vehicle.
There's a traction engine local to me registered FU92. Short but certainly not the impact of FU2.
D6130
Established Member
See my post #89 - it is still around!