Number plate mystery - Any sleuths who can help?

That_Sinking_Feeling

I have a cherished classic car of great sentimental value. It came into my possession twenty years ago with a standard registration number in a standard format.

It was involved in an accident (not my fault, I must add) some years back and - long story short - ended up being re-shelled into a donor chassis.

For boring and convoluted reasons, I was unable to transfer the original plate onto the new chassis. It was quite important to me, as I wanted to maintain as much originality as I possibly could.

It was certainly a mad project, if nothing else...

Anyway, I did the next best thing and purchased a registration number that matched the original as closely as possible.

So I now have a personalised number plate, but it's not my initials or any of that nonsense. It's an entirely different kind of nonsense: it reflects the car's identity, not mine.    

AdrianC

That_Sinking_Feeling said:

I have a cherished classic car of great sentimental value. It came into my possession twenty years ago with a standard registration number in a standard format.

It was involved in an accident (not my fault, I must add) some years back and - long story short - ended up being re-shelled into a donor chassis.

For boring and convoluted reasons, I was unable to transfer the original plate onto the new chassis. It was quite important to me, as I wanted to maintain as much originality as I possibly could.

Hmm.
Reshelled using a used donor chassis/shell...?
It should have got a Q plate...

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/rebuilt-vehicles

I presume you simply retained the ID that went with the donor shell?

Langtang

My registration is my initials, my house number (coincidence) and an abbreviation of the area of the city I live in (xx 02 xxx) but the letters also signify the very first email address I ever had, back when it was a “new” thing to have an email address (way prior to me getting the plate) 

That email address was bourne from my sporting days - when ironed-on letters from my volleyball club had fallen off my jersey leaving my, eventual, nickname. 

No-one but me would know that history, except my old team mates!

most people probably think I’m a doctor (which I’m not)

That_Sinking_Feeling

@AdrianC

My replies keep getting caught in the forum's 'suspicious post' filter and I've lost patience with it now. 

In summary: bad wording, 'donor' shell was actually more of a recipient shell and retained its original identity underneath the modifications.

NBLondon

That_Sinking_Feeling said:

@AdrianC

My replies keep getting caught in the forum's 'suspicious post' filter and I've lost patience with it now. 

In summary: bad wording, 'donor' shell was actually more of a recipient shell and retained its original identity underneath the modifications.

Given that there are companies that produce replacement shells (for MGB and Mini as examples) it would seem logical to me that the identity is by default  attached to the chassis and powertrain.  You have Car A; you buy Car B as a donor for parts or body shell.  The finished car has the chassis and powertrain of Car A so it retains the identity of Car A.     But if you find that Car B has the better chassis and body then transplant in the powertrain from Car A it retains the identity of Car B.

Of course, the more mixing and matching you do to get a complete vehicle/desired spec the more likely you are to end up with a Q plate.

In your case - you wanted to keep the identity of a car that had sentimental value.  Don't forget that other people might be trying to transfer identity because the history of a given car makes it more valuable.  (Race/rally winner; famous owner; used in film/TV).

BOWFER

That_Sinking_Feeling said:

So I now have a personalised number plate, but it's not my initials or any of that nonsense. It's an entirely different kind of nonsense: it reflects the car's identity, not mine.    

Car specific numberplates can look really cool, like the guy up here who had CL 10 on his Clio Williams.
Didn't look so good on the Volvo V40 he got after.
I had RSV on my Aprilia motorbike.

AdrianC

NBLondon said:

That_Sinking_Feeling said:

@AdrianC

My replies keep getting caught in the forum's 'suspicious post' filter and I've lost patience with it now. 

In summary: bad wording, 'donor' shell was actually more of a recipient shell and retained its original identity underneath the modifications.

Given that there are companies that produce replacement shells (for MGB and Mini as examples) it would seem logical to me that the identity is by default  attached to the chassis and powertrain.

The difference is that they are brand new bodyshells, whereas TSF was rebuilding into a used one from another car.

Don't forget that neither of the cars you mention have chassis, they are both of monocoque construction - as most cars for many decades have been.

Langtang

BOWFER said:

.....like the guy up here who had CL 10 on his Clio Williams.

That's a cool number, loved seeing that. Haven't seen it in a while.

Its a great game, trying to figure out what plates (could) mean. Makes long journeys bearable. 

That_Sinking_Feeling

No brand new bodyshells exist for this car, as far as I'm aware (and I did look, albeit a few years ago now). It's an old Ford, and not even a particularly fashionable or desirable one.

The bodyshell of the original car (car A) was beyond repair. The bodyshell of car B was used instead. Hence the car technically retains the identity of car B - masked by a personalised registration number that is similar to (but obviously not the same as) car A's now decommissioned number.

[Deleted User]

There's someone in Birmingham with a purple Rolls Royce who is presumably a gold dealer who has BUY GOLD - BUY 601D (or something like that anyway as that doesn't exist)