ZO or ZJ plates

Traumadoc

Yesterday I saw a MGB on ZJ ****plates and also saw a beetle on ZO **** plates. Are these original Irish numbers or is there an altenative to ZV?

Blue850

Original irish, my Fiat is ZC

MercMad

These are original period Irish plates. The ZV is for imports of over 30 years of age only !

Esel

Traumadoc wrote:

Yesterday I saw a MGB on ZJ ****plates and also saw a beetle on ZO **** plates. Are these original Irish numbers or is there an altenative to ZV?

You sure they weren't **** ZJ rather than number after letters? I think the only post-70 car you will see with a Z first would be ZS **** - early/mid 80s I think. Saw a nice M123 today with ZS!

2cv

I had a 1983 Mercedes 200 on a ZS plate at some stage. ZS is Dublin for 1986, the car was imported from the north in that year

Wishbone Ash

Traumadoc wrote:

Are these original Irish numbers?

Yes, ZJ and ZO are Dublin numbers.

rebel.ranter

I had a 1986 316 with ZS 4331 plates, so ZS is 1986 in Dublin? ZB & ZK were Cork & ZM Galway.

DarenO

4 numbers and ZJ is 1973, 4 numbers and ZO is 1974, there maybe some slight cross over, i.e. 9999 ZJ could be early '74, i don't know the exact issue dates.

Regards
Darren

MercMad

You sure they weren't **** ZJ rather than number after letters? I think the only post-70 car you will see with a Z first would be ZS **** - early/mid 80s I think. Saw a nice M123 today with ZS

............and "ZG" came before "ZS" BTW, both 1986 !

hi5

According to my records;)

ZJ**** 1/49 - 7/50
ZO**** 2/52 - 5/53
****ZJ NOT ISSUED
****ZO 12/73 - 4/74.

superboy

hehehe i can see why there may be some confusion. my father swears that a neighbour of his was sold a car by an unscrupulous dealer with SI *** on the front and *** SI on the back!!!!!

jrar

The confusion arises because when Irish plates were first issued in 1904 as part of the British system, we were given exclusive use of the letters "I" and "Z" (one of which appears in all pre-87 Irish registrations) and Scotland were given "G", "S", and "V" on the same basis and accordingly up until 1982 we did not use these letters in any of our county codes.

They were then introduced in 1982 as all other combinations became exhausted, and exceptionally the new codes (GI, IS, IV, SI, ZG, ZS, ZV) were first issued with a serial letter, and then SI, ZG and ZS alone as a suffix in 1986 (i.e. xxxx SI etc)

And in 1987, we actually had the foresight to go for a radical solution that actually works well and gives us relative breathing space at least until 2087, rather than tinkering around the edges of the then existing system, as the British and Northern Ireland authorities had done and continued to do at that time.

End of history lesson !

2cv

jrar wrote:

And in 1987, we actually had the foresight to go for a radical solution that actually works well and gives us relative breathing space at least until 2087

I've been wondering about that... What about imported cars that have year plates rather than ZV plates? LIke i know someone that has an MG on a 34-KE reg. What'll the government do then? And that problem could arise sooner than expected. I've been told there's a 1915 or 1916 on a dublin plate? Do you think the government will consider imposing ZV (or similar system) plates on ALL classic and vintage cars? Also, once a plate has been attributed to a certain car, that plate stays with that car and cannot be attributed to another car, even after the original car has been scrapped. Then what happens to all the re-registered cars that are off the road and not taxed? How will the government control that?

Wishbone Ash

2cv wrote:

once a plate has been attributed to a certain car, that plate stays with that car and cannot be attributed to another car

It can in exceptional circumstances.

VIP 1 was taken off the original car for the Popemobile and Dublin Bus re-registered 378 IK to 88 D 988 for the Millennium Bus.

2cv

Didn't know that :-)

I know that you can have an imported car on a year plate (ie 72-C-...) re-registered to a ZV plate but not the other way around...

MercMad

and then SI, ZG and ZS alone as a suffix in 1986 (i.e. xxxx SI etc)

..........these leters were the prefix for 1986 !

I dont know what they will do when the possibilities of duplicates arises. I suppose the chances of there being more than a few dozen vehicles that are 100 years old will be slim, and if the number is used..............its used !

Nobody will mistake a 2032 Ford ST getaway car for a Model A !!

G Luxel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

It can in exceptional circumstances.

[Dublin Bus re-registered 378 IK to 88 D 988 for the Millennium Bus.

Why change an old number to a new number? Did Dublin bus not have money to buy a new bus?? Have the letters QI, IQ, ZZ, ZP, ZQ, Ii, ever appeared in the old system. I notice a Truimph TR2 with ZY but I dont know if its original or imported in the 80s?

superboy

yeah my beetle was imported in the 80's and hence has a VSI reg.

DarenO

Q was retained by England, i know they use it for kit cars. ZP is a Donegal registration, that Triumph with ZY is an original Irish car registered in Louth, ZZ is Ireland's temporary import registration.

Wishbone Ash

G Luxel wrote:

Did Dublin bus not have money to buy a new bus?

They were starved of resources in the 1980s.

Wishbone Ash

G Luxel wrote:

Have the letters QI, IQ, ZQ, ever appeared in the old system

I don't think the letter 'Q' appeared in Irish pre 87 registrations. I'm open to correction but I think it was reserved for kit cars or undefined vehicles in the UK.

2cv

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I don't think the letter 'Q' appeared in Irish pre 87 registrations. I'm open to correction but I think it was reserved for kit cars or undefined vehicles in the UK.

Q plates in the UK are also issued to some stolen-recovered vehicles or vehicles used in crimes. Correct me if i'm wrong :-)

macplaxton

A 'Q' registration number indicates that the age or identity of a vehicle is unknown or of doubt. The vehicle may be rebuilt from parts, some or all of which may not be new. This also applies to vehicles imported without supporting evidence to identify the vehicles age.

Kitcars, if built substantially from one donor vehicle, will get an age-related plate, otherwise it will be allocated a 'Q'

Cut 'n' shuts upon passing required tests, will get assigned a 'Q' plate.

Stolen-recovered cars with defaced, illegible or questionable identity will be issued a 'Q'

Land/Range Rovers made out of parts from various sources. 'Q' plate.

If you have a rebuilt vehicle of parts from various sources that is over 25 years old (reconstructed classic), an age-related plate may be issued, but based on the date of the youngest scored item. Points are allocated for different assemblies, such as steering, chassis, suspension, engine. 8 points are required to retain a registration mark.

An age-related plate is one with the appropriate year letter or in the case of older vehicles that wouldn't have originally had a suffix/prefix plate, a SU or SV in the letter group. (In the past, cherished number transfers got 'A' plates)

That's roughly the current policy of the DVLA as it stands at the moment. Beware of the implications of a 'Q' plate when importing and the implications of those cars that don't have a V5C. Also beware of certificates of salvage allocated to cat C (and I think maybe D) insurance write-offs.

2cv

Can't go much clearer than that i suppose :-)

rebel.ranter

MercMad wrote:

............and "ZG" came before "ZS" BTW, both 1986 !

We also had a 1982 Granada 2.8i with ZF 2345, what's the sequence used, can you really tell what age a car is without knowing each and every Z*?

Esel

rebel.ranter wrote:

We also had a 1982 Granada 2.8i with ZF 2345, what's the sequence used, can you really tell what age a car is without knowing each and every Z*?

ZF was not a Dublin reg.

hi5

ZF 2345 was registered in cork between 8/46--12/58.
2345 ZF was registered in Cork between 6/78---2/80.
Are sure it was 82?

MercMad

We also had a 1982 Granada 2.8i with ZF 2345, what's the sequence used, can you really tell what age a car is without knowing each and every Z*?

...........yes I can tell every reg down to within a month purely from memory..
............................NOT !

Nope............just some I remember, but as mentioned ZF was not Dublin, but Cork.

The 2.8i engine only came out on the Granada in April '82 AFAIK so maybe ZF 2345 was a 2.8 carb !

PanhardPL

hi5 wrote:

According to my records;)

ZJ**** 1/49 - 7/50
ZO**** 2/52 - 5/53
****ZJ NOT ISSUED
****ZO 12/73 - 4/74.

I think you may need to check on your records again, maybe the following list will be of assistance.
.Z 2/71 - 6/71
.ZA 6/71 - 10/71
.ZC 10/71 - 3/72
.ZD 3/72 - 6/72
.ZE 6/72 - 10/72
.ZH 10/72 - 2/73
.ZI 2/73 - 5/73
.ZJ 5/73 - 8/73
.ZL 8/73 - 12/73
.ZO 12/73 - 4/74
.ZU 4/74 - 7/74
.ARI 7/74 - 8/74

That should help to clear matters.

bushy...

List of regs. from ???? may not be accurate

corktina

bear in mibd some cars imported when a couple of years old got the latest reg rather ythan an age-related one in those days so you cant rely on dates entirely.

hi5

PanhardPL wrote:

I think you may need to check on your records again, maybe the following list will be of assistance.
.Z 2/71 - 6/71
.ZA 6/71 - 10/71
.ZC 10/71 - 3/72
.ZD 3/72 - 6/72
.ZE 6/72 - 10/72
.ZH 10/72 - 2/73
.ZI 2/73 - 5/73
.ZJ 5/73 - 8/73
.ZL 8/73 - 12/73
.ZO 12/73 - 4/74
.ZU 4/74 - 7/74
.ARI 7/74 - 8/74

That should help to clear matters.

Your right indeed and I noticed this myself but you lose the 'EDIT' function after someone else posts.
The records are photocopies and are correct but a little blotchy in places the J actually looks like U.
Will take a photo of the page and put it up,I'll stick some pics of the Mustang I'm restoring as well:)

hi5

These are just 1 page of my'records' as you can see the J has been mistakenly corrected to a U I didnt notice the second U further down:o .
Do these records look correct?maybe there not ?

MercMad

I cant see any list ??

Wishbone Ash

I was watching the documentary on the Betelguese Disaster tonight and in the background of some footage a school bus passed with a 663 Z reg. I don't think I've seen an Irish single letter registration before. (Maybe I've led a sheltered existence!). It's on Cartell as a white Bedford.

PS - According to PanhardPL's post it was registered in 1971.

Esel

WB - sheltered, or young! Z suffix was Dublin c. 1970/71, IIRC.

hi5

MercMad wrote:

I cant see any list ??

Dont know why that is,I can see it?
is this better?

MercMad

Thanks...........I can see both of them now, dunno why I couldn't earlier !

Mind if I ask where the list was obtained ?

I see some on there that bring back memories, like my father first brand new car Datsun Laurel 303 GZD, May 1978 !!

2cv

bushy... wrote:

List of regs. from ???? may not be accurate

If you look at the irish reg list at the bottom, there are some of them marked at "planned" like CK for Cork County, FL for Fingal and so on... any idea if and when these are supposed to come in?

OKenora

The 2.8i engine only came out on the Granada in April '82 AFAIK so maybe ZF 2345 was a 2.8 carb !

Lot of people confusing prefix and suffix it makes a bit difference....

ZF 2345 is a late 1940's early to mid 1950's car
2345 ZF is an early 80's car which fits the Granada a bit better

FZC 591 was the reg of an old car of mine, again mid 50's from memory but 591 FZC would have been a 1977 motor

MercMad

2cv wrote:

If you look at the irish reg list at the bottom, there are some of them marked at "planned" like CK for Cork County, FL for Fingal and so on... any idea if and when these are supposed to come in?

.....never hopefully !

Wishbone Ash

2cv wrote:

FL for Fingal and so on... any idea if and when these are supposed to come in?

FL - :eek: - if I ever have to register a new vehicle in the future, I won't be using my home address then!

* vomits *

101sean

FL would be handy, I could give up on the local VRO then for my ex mil Land Rover and run round on its military plates 73 FL 74

2cv

I'm not sure i'd like a CK plate on my car either :eek: But maybe for Dublin a change wouldn't be a bad thing. Look at the year 2000... i've seen cars registered 00-D-11XXXX... registration plates in Dublin are more like bar codes these days. The rest of the country is relatively safe. I'd like to get a CY plate though (for Clonakilty)

MercMad

I wonder could we speculate now and get prepared to order a cunning fancy plate...................something that reads well..........any suggestions ?

2cv

MercMad wrote:

I wonder could we speculate now and get prepared to order a cunning fancy plate...................something that reads well..........any suggestions ?

I'd like 77-MB-280 for my Merc thank you very much :-)

hi5

MercMad wrote:

Mind if I ask where the list was obtained ?

Don't know where the list originated from,I got it from a friend who got it from someone else, all copies.
Its titled 'A Comprehensive History of Irish Registrations' looks official though.
Includes mistakes and anomolies and other interesting stuff:) .

DarenO

OKenora wrote:

FZC 591 was the reg of an old car of mine, again mid 50's from memory but 591 FZC would have been a 1977 motor

isn't FZC 1961