Reg plates font/design, like BO ?

Capri

Just looking at the latest issue of Irish Vintage, the number of yokes in it with 'cheap/new font' plates is amazing considering that there's ad's in it for 'proper' plates that would enhance the vehicle.

S'pose nobody likes telling the owners 'Nice resto - pity about the plates ' , bit like telling people they've go BO :rolleyes:

CianDon

Im mad pedantic about having the right number plates to make a car look its best. I went through 3 sets on the GTi before I was happy while a buddy with a KE70 is on his 8th set trying to get as original to the time as possible. What really makes me almost sick is seeing cars with an original Irish registration number and then a modern, ugly EU/IRL number plate :mad:

corktina

strictly speaking any car registered now should carry those plates.

carchaeologist

Capri wrote: »

Just looking at the latest issue of Irish Vintage, the number of yokes in it with 'cheap/new font' plates is amazing considering that there's ad's in it for 'proper' plates that would enhance the vehicle.

S'pose nobody likes telling the owners 'Nice resto - pity about the plates ' , bit like telling people they've go BO :rolleyes:

'Proper' style plastic letter old style white/red plates are expensive, and are usually also wrong. There are different size plastic letters to suit different sized plates and most modern reproductions that I have seen use the wrong ones.
Ace peak plates are even more expensive(€170ish a set) but are usually make to the original spec it would seem.

hi5

carchaeologist wrote: »

'Proper' style plastic letter old style white/red plates are expensive, and are usually also wrong. There are different size plastic letters to suit different sized plates and most modern reproductions that I have seen use the wrong ones.
Ace peak plates are even more expensive(€170ish a set) but are usually make to the original spec it would seem.

Those are the UK size digits with the flat top that first came out on the yellow plates in 1973, I don't think the larger black peaked digits are available anymore, probably wouldn't fit now anyway.

I was watching the film Philomena recently, they too had the wrong style plates in the '50's scene, had the French style with the small digits, at least it wasn't ZV.

w124man

I have two pre 1991 cars, one with the period correct 1990 plates as supplied by the original VW dealer which were in great condition so I kept them on the car. The other 1990 car is an import which I brought over some years ago and so it has a 'sensible' reg number (not a stupid 90-D-120***). It took about three or four shots to get the style and font correct from the era and looks the part. Unfortunately, the motor factor that did it closed about 18 months ago.

Silvera

I got a set of 1970's/1980's plates from www.autojumbler.ie a few months ago. They are accurate reproductions of the period - 3.5" plastic digits on metal base plate, properly spaced, etc.

http://www.autojumbler.ie/Red%20and%20White%20Number%20plates.html

I dont have pics, but trust me, I know my plates and these are spot on.
He's a nice guy to deal with too!

macplaxton

hi5 wrote: »

Those are the UK size digits with the flat top that first came out on the yellow plates in 1973,

White 3-1/8" semi-peak digits like that came out about ten years earlier IIRC. Black ones arrived around 1967 when reflectives were permitted. Here's an old Bluemels advert.

.

Silvera wrote: »

3.5" plastic digits

Agree, he's a decent bloke. The font looks like this:


DSCF4139.JPG by macplaxton, on Flickr

The only drawback about those digits are they are white (pre-1963 UK sort) and as such are painted black. He did advise that they might be subject to chipping in use.

The trouble with getting the period look is that it's expensive. (I wanted the 'older' style rounded 6 & 9 on this particular plate):


Front & rear old Irish plates 2 by macplaxton, on Flickr

Those digits are 3½" metal and compared to the original aluminium backed with plastic rivet digits plate (made by Hills) it's about double the weight. I've not done a lot of miles on it, but I do worry as the rear one is mounted onto a plastic hinged flap concealing the petrol filler.

Another manufacturer that springs to mind was Jepsons. They're still going: http://www.jepsonclassicplates.com/

hi5

This is correct for 73-86

macplaxton

Are white/red reflectives 1st December 1969 to 31 December 1986?

I'd say the 5 and 3 are more early-mid 70s style. Newer fonts are more like this:



(although the bloke that assembled that plate looks like he had a couple too many Guinness )

hi5

macplaxton wrote: »

Are white/red reflectives 1st December 1969 to 31 December 1986?

I'd say the 5 and 3 are more early-mid 70s style. Newer fonts are more like this:

)

I'm almost certain it was '73, we changed to red the same time the UK changed to yellow.

EDIT..Seems to haver been '69 according to WIKI

Capri

http://www.nowplates.com/


http://www.nowplates.com/vintage-plates-and-offers#!__vintage-plates-and-offers

Pages 3/7 & 6/7 seem to have the closest we'll get to period plates to original spec.

macplaxton

Having looked it up, the UK permitted reflective from 1968. From 1973 they were mandatory, so there was a cross-over period when you could have either/or and most folk went for the new modern look at time.

These days, owners of the same cars tend to opt for the old-fashioned look of non-reflective.

whisky_galore

CianDon wrote: »

What really makes me almost sick is seeing cars with an original Irish registration number and then a modern, ugly EU/IRL number plate :mad:

I hate that sh*t, moreover if it is a really nice restoration job otherwise, it's like having a bad pimple on one's face. All the stops pulled out to get original paint job, upholstery, etc. and then they attach this piece of crap as an afterthought.

My other bugbear are fancy plates that are really OTT considering the humble piece of machinery they're attached to, usually older cars and tractors which would have had their reg no simply neatly painted on in many cases when first registered.

quattro777

I have a 1981 car to register in the new year.
Has anyone found a way to make the new longer reg numbers look remotely decent?

ianobrien

I'm going to be shot for this but I don't like the white/red plates at all. We went for the sliver writing on black plates for the Escort. it isn't an original Irish car (thus on a "77 C" plate) and to me, a number plate is a number plate....

Then again, I've been looking for years to get NOS green tinted FORD windscreen for the Escort. To some, a windscreen is just a windscreen (and I can have a heated one here in two days from the UK) but I must have the right one so I can understand what you saying about the plates being right.

carchaeologist

quattro777 wrote: »

I have a 1981 car to register in the new year.
Has anyone found a way to make the new longer reg numbers look remotely decent?

Wanna buy a tax book....?