English-Irish registrations

carchaeologist

Some early southern Irish registrations that have crossed the Irish sea in years gone by and the cars they are now on.

IT 7, Mercedes Sl 320 Auto (Convertible)
IN 8807, Volkswagen Passat Sport Tdi (Estate)
IO 8315, Nissan (2 Door Saloon)
IY 1142, Bmw M3 (4 Door Saloon)
IZ 7961, Ford Fiesta Zetec (5 Door Hatchback)
2804 ZA, Honda Cr - V Es Auto (Estate)
ZD 7611, Bmw 530i Se Auto (4 Door Saloon)
ZE 1416, Bmw 316ti Sport Compact (3 Door Hatchback)
ZE 4128, Volkswagen Golf Se Auto (5 Door Hatchback)
ZE 6920, Suzuki Jimny Jlx (Estate)
ZH 2349, Mercedes E320 Cdi Avantgarde Auto (4 Door Saloon)
ZH 9383, Porsche Boxster (Convertible)
ZL 3198, Mercedes C200 Sport (4 Door Saloon)
ZU 3980, Fiat Panda Dynamic Multijet (5 Door Hatchback)
ZY 7655, Bmw 330 Ci Sport Auto (Convertible)

It would be a possibility if you were living over there,you could buy one of those plates for your classic and legally run it with an old irish number.
IT7 is probably worth a stupid amount of cash now.....

corktina

odd anomalys arent they....and the same thing happened the other way round too, some GB series numbers became Republic numbers, not sure if any survive.

Max_Damage

odd anomalys arent they....and the same thing happened the other way round too, some GB series numbers became Republic numbers, not sure if any survive.

'IRL1' was one I believe.

carchaeologist

As i understand it,years ago it was up to you weather you registered your imported car here on irish plates? There was no government compulsion to do it? But you could tax your car on the english number?

Dord

When I was younger, I remember my Dad got some offers for the plate on his Renault Master when we took a trip to Wales. I can't remember what the registration number was though.

rugbyman

Carcheologist,
thats an interesting list, how is it compiled.?

Some years ago i met the fellow with the IY number , he is a Turkish type of fellow and the IY is his initials, think he gave 1750 pounds for it.

twenty years ago i saw a Riley RME for sale with a Kerry reg in Manchester


the variation of your suggestion that appealed to me was to buy a new Porsche over there( money permitting) , put the old Irish number on it and swan around here

Rugbyman

kasper

isnt vip 1 oaer there ?

carchaeologist

rugbyman wrote: »

Carcheologist,
thats an interesting list, how is it compiled.?

Not sure,had it in the Computer here and found it whn i was tidying up files and stuff.

isnt vip 1 oaer there ?

Yes, VIP1 sold for something silly like 250K in the last few years.

Max_Damage

kasper wrote: »

isnt vip 1 oaer there ?

Registration VIP1
Make ROLLS ROYCE
Model CORNICHE
Description IV
Fuel Type Petrol
CO2 (g/km)* Not Available
VRT % Rate ** Not Available

mamakevf

corktina wrote: »

odd anomalys arent they....and the same thing happened the other way round too, some GB series numbers became Republic numbers, not sure if any survive.

Friend has a '57 Lambretta on English plate and Irish logbook.
It was brought here early 60's

aujopimur

As far as I can remember all UK regs. had to be changed for Irish regs around 1973 if my memerory serves me right,

carchaeologist

aujopimur wrote: »

As far as I can remember all UK regs. had to be changed for Irish regs around 1973 if my memerory serves me right,

It was definatly the mid 70s alright,my old man had an english reg Anglia estate that he had to change over.

PanhardPL

carchaeologist wrote: »

It was definatly the mid 70s alright,my old man had an english reg Anglia estate that he had to change over.

That was brought about due to the Northern troubles, all currently taxed UK registered vehicles were allocated replacement Irish registration numbers.

Wheelnut

I appreciate the personalised number plate phenomenon but I sometimes struggle to see the significance of the chosen number. Most of those in the OP's list have escaped me (I'm not blaming him). For instance I know of a car that carried the number H 4 NKB, this was obviously intended to be "misread" as HANK B. But just to take a random selection, what is the significance of ZY 7655 ?

carchaeologist

Wheelnut wrote: »

I appreciate the personalised number plate phenomenon but I sometimes struggle to see the significance of the chosen number. Most of those in the OP's list have escaped me (I'm not blaming him). For instance I know of a car that carried the number H 4 NKB, this was obviously intended to be "misread" as HANK B. But just to take a random selection, what is the significance of ZY 7655 ?

Its just a list of irish registrations that were not intended to be english numbers but are now. I have no idea why anyone would find them significant to themselves,not am i much bothered:D. Maybe his name is Zachary! People have all sorts of strange and weird ideas when it comes to personalised plates!
Im sure theres many more irish numbers over there too apart from the ones in the first post.

rugbyman

Up until about ten years ago ,no mainland Uk numbers could have the letters I or Z in them.
Prior to 87, no irish reg, North or South could exist without an I or a Z.

therefore the amount of personalised Uk numbers including a Z ( without a year Letter) would be tiny and would all have originated in Ireland.

Any with a Z from N.I would not have the Z first, so "Zackary "(first name) would have to find himself an ex ROI number.

Re IRL 1 (looking splendid in OKI s photo). This is neither a "proper" Irish or UK number, originating as it did in the UK ,and having an I.
Its issue was a special occasion and has been detailed on Boards in the past.

re VIP 1, am not sure how it migrated to the Uk as i believe it was too late in the years to have moved over as did the ones in the OPs list.

yes, sad as it may seem I have a number plate fetish.

Regards Rugbyman

Do-more

rugbyman wrote: »

re VIP 1, am not sure how it migrated to the Uk as i believe it was too late in the years to have moved over as did the ones in the OPs list.

I believe it was specially issued for use on the Popemoblie for JP2's visit to the UK a number of years ago.

carchaeologist

Do-more wrote: »

I believe it was specially issued for use on the Popemoblie for JP2's visit to the UK a number of years ago.

It wasnt specially issued for the popemobile as that was in 1979. VIP1 is an August 1971 Kilkenny issue. I think it was originally on an XJ6? The limo that the pope as in was a MK1 Granada dorchester limo. But back then you could transfer numbers if the original car was scrapped,or maybe someone did some dodgy paperwork because the pope was coming,because it looked pretty good.

carchaeologist

Here it is..

Silvera

VIP 1 was issued to some well know brewery salesman in Kilkenny because of some great community work he did back in the 60's/70's. I read an old newspaper article about it in the (now closed) motor museum in Clonmel a few years ago.

VIP 1 is currently own by Roman Abramovich
...he of the 'I will sue Ireland if you make Irish Nationwide bondholders suffer' fame!:mad:

I have seen many old vehicles on original UK plates (with Irish tax discs) on Gordon Bennett runs.

rugbyman

not particularly wanting to drag this one out.

carcheologist has pointed out that VIP 1 is a 1971 number.

Silvera has stated it was issued to someone, of course it was , it was due to be given out. (perhaps the Council made sure it went to someone who deserved it)

I do not know if anybody who moved to the UK(or who simply sold their car to a UK buyer) after 1971 could keep their Irish number and not have to re register as one would have to do now. I think not.
it appears that it was done, it must have been, and from then on it became transferable. Some sort of pressure may have helped.

re the Popes Ford in Ireland i would say it was just a made up plate.


regards ,rugbyman

carchaeologist

rugbyman wrote: »

re the Popes Ford in Ireland i would say it was just a made up plate.

I thought it might have been,id love to know for sure. I wonder when it went to england,and on what vehicle.

Do-more

carchaeologist wrote: »

I thought it might have been,id love to know for sure. I wonder when it went to england,and on what vehicle.

"VIP 1" plate first owned by Kilkenny businessman Bill Finnegan in the 1970s and later - in replica, at least - by Pope John Paul II.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2006/0707/1146660098239.html

If someone has an Irish Times sub they may get more of the story. It is the "paper of record" after all and should have the details correct!

The papal visit was in 1979, and the number plate on the Popemobile was a fake/joke for the day. I am sick and tired of the stereotype of the Irish as being over-religious Catholics bowing down to the pope. The real "VIP 1" plate was issued in 1971 to Bill Finnegan, for his work on founding the Kilkenny Beer Festival. It was on his Jaguar, which he brought to England in the 1970s. Old Irish plates could formerly be "naturalised" in the UK and resold there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Vanity_plate

This previous edit from Wikipedia has more info but may be unreliable.

Do-more

http://www.emigrant.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24997

A famous number plate dating from the days when IP were the county's designated letters has been sold, but a mystery has arisen as to the purchaser. At first it was reported that the buyer of VIP 1 was Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, but this has been vehemently denied. The plate was originally presented to Bill Finnegan, the sales director of Smithwick's Brewery who founded the Kilkenny Beer Festival in the 1960s, in recognition of his contribution to the city. When he changed cars after having moved to England, he wasn't allowed to retain the number plate and sold it for £5,000. In 1989 it changed hands for £92,000 and the latest purchaser paid £285,000, a record price for a number plate.

Thanks to Hi5 of this parish.

Silvera

Just to add to the story...

Whoever finally did get 'VIP 1' onto the UK register apparently tried to do so with several UK councils back in the 70's before he was successful in doing so.

I read that Abramaovich did buy the plate for the 'prestige value' but did not intend to display it on any of his vehicles for 'security reasons' (i.e. it would be placed 'on retention')