Old style car registrations

Dub Ste

Blue850 wrote: »

I absolutely love this car,if I ever have any spare cash...........yeah right!!,this would be the kind of car I'd love to own

kevdeblue

DIE 123 CLARE MK2 ESCORT
222 DZM GALWAY 86 MITS LANCER
666 SZB XR3i
eni 704 old carina
my first MZF 787 hillman avenger


oh where are they now

nightster1

kevdeblue wrote: »

DIE 123 CLARE MK2 ESCORT
222 DZM GALWAY 86 MITS LANCER
666 SZB XR3i
eni 704 old carina
my first MZF 787 hillman avenger


oh where are they now

Hopefully not all scrapped. I recently saw my old car 355 LZB!:)

carchaeologist

nightster1 wrote: »

I recently saw my old car 355 LZB!:)

What was it,it doesnt show on the records? Has it been off the road for years?

nightster1

She's a red september 1981 Alfa Sud Sprint Veloce! She's off the road for a good few years now but not scrapped. Severe tin worm of course, on all alfa's alas

patrickbrk4

carchaeologist wrote: »

DIE666 and 666DIE were co clare issues, cant find any info on DIE666, but 666DIE is/was a ford escort.
DIE1 to DIE999 was issued from 5/62 to 4/63 and the reverse 1DIE to 999DIE from 6/79 to 10/79
Kind of a mad registration number isnt it!!!:D Cant find anything on 1DIE or 2DIE, but 3DIE is/was an Alfa Romeo GTV. I reckon 1DIE and 2DIE were not issued for obvious reasons!!

I remember driving through Ennis over 20 years ago and saw an Ambulance with the Reg Number 800 DIE high up on the vehicle over the doors,not the most encouraging sign to see if you were looking up from a stretcher!

nightster1

patrickbrk4 wrote: »

I remember driving through Ennis over 20 years ago and saw an Ambulance with the Reg Number 800 DIE high up on the vehicle over the doors,not the most encouraging sign to see if you were looking up from a stretcher!

I've seen a fee RIP reg's over the years. I remember overtaking a car years ago with RIP 234, and thought I was doomed!

darkdubh

Remember as well the number plates from different countries were different too.The most common and distinctive one ,after the UK yellow plates were the German ones,i think they had two little circles on the plate.I remember the excitement when as kids we used to spot a car from somewhere unusual,i remembe once seeing a car from Hungary and it was like seeing a ufo.

Go Harvey Go

In post #178 I talked about what would, and might, have happened in Clare had the old system lasted one more year.

So what would have happened in other counties had the system continued throughout 1987?

Here are some of my reckonings, going by proceedings during 1986 and, in some cases, several years beforehand as well:


Carlow (last issue YIC 994) obviously would have started ZIC on 1 or 2 January - and would have certainly got most of the way through it by year's end, if not completed it and thus made a start on reverse IC.

Cavan (906 IID) would have reached reverse KID sometime in the autumn.

Kerry (375 CIN) would have been up to reverse EIN by the autumn.

Kildare (9343 ZW) would have reached 9999 ZW by the spring, and would have then probably moved on to 1 AIO etc - seeing as they skipped reverse IO in May 1983, probably due to the mark's likeness to the number 10.

Leitrim (KIT 780) would have advanced to LIT by the summer.

Limerick (OIV 520) might have made a start on SIV before year's end.

Longford (PIX 710) would have started RIX by the summer.

Mayo (HIS 990) would have advanced to JIS on 1 or 2 January (since IIS was not allocated), and to KIS by the summer. That could well have been a very popular mark...

Roscommon (292 BDI) would have advanced to reverse CDI during the summer - and would have probably held back the first 99 numbers, just as they held back 1-99 ADI and 1-99 BDI.

Sligo (835 AEI) would have probably reached reverse CEI sometime in the autumn.

Tipperary North (418 JFI) would have certainly got much of the way through reverse KFI by year's end.

Tipperary South (CGI 871) would have been up to EGI by the autumn.

Waterford (586 AKI) would have at least got a good bit of the way through reverse BKI by year's end.

Westmeath (869 GLI) would have reached reverse ILI by the autumn.

Wexford (8071 ZR) would have moved on to 1 AMI etc by the autumn.

Limerick City (929 FTI) might have made a start on reverse HTI before year's end.

Waterford City (WWI 80) would have probably started XWI during the autumn.


Feel free to agree or disagree with me...

carchaeologist

Excellent stuff there GHG. Looking a that, instead of issuing a ZV plate system, many counties could have gone on issuing unused marks for their pre '87 imported cars, if people wished to use them. This may have worked out a bit better, because as it is at the moment theres 4 digit ZV plates, 5 Digit ZV plates, Year/county plates, Taxbook ringers from the original issues, and genuine original issues from pre 1987. Lot of diffrent numbers there.

patrickbrk4

I think RIP 13 we originally issued around 1969 in Kilkenny and the doomed vehicle was a Ford Cortina Mk 2.

Go Harvey Go

nightster1 wrote: »

I've seen a fee RIP reg's over the years. I remember overtaking a car years ago with RIP 234, and thought I was doomed!

patrickbrk4 wrote: »

I think RIP 13 we originally issued around 1969 in Kilkenny and the doomed vehicle was a Ford Cortina Mk 2.

RIP 1-999 were issued between October 1968 and June 1969.

Interestingly, though, reverse RIP was skipped in 1985. Perhaps the Kilkenny county councillors didn't want to get any more motorists thinking they were doomed?

patrickbrk4

Go Harvey Go wrote: »

RIP 1-999 were issued between October 1968 and June 1969.

Interestingly, though, reverse RIP was skipped in 1985. Perhaps the Kilkenny county councillors didn't want to get any more motorists thinking they were doomed?

Around the same time Kerry issued MIN1 the said vehicle being a Ford Escort Mark 1 it was issued to either the County Manager or the Council Chairman at the time.

carchaeologist

patrickbrk4 wrote: »

Around the same time Kerry issued MIN1 the said vehicle being a Ford Escort Mark 1 it was issued to either the County Manager or the Council Chairman at the time.

Indeed you are right, that number ended up as a legal transfer on a grey Nissan Micra K10 in the '80s, i wonder is it still about in a shed somewhere, its a pretty distinctive registration.

carchaeologist

Heres the pic, thanks to Blue850 for scanning it in. Seemingly the Micra was in the Dingle area in the '80s.

carchaeologist

While on the sublect of legal registration transfers, heres a good one for ye..

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Originally issued in March 1927 in Dublin to a Renault apparently.

1Z is on a green Alfa Romeo GTV, also in existance and featured in Irish Vintage Scene.

Blue850

I doubt its genuine but I saw the reg DIE 666 on a Ford Granada Hearse! in a photo in a back issue of Irish Vintage Scene

patrickbrk4

I hope any of the prospective costumers aren't superstitious!

L1011

I've met the owner of Z1 (his wife was a customer of mine once) and he told me how/when he got the plate, but I've managed to forget the story now...

carchaeologist

MYOB wrote: »

I've met the owner of Z1 (his wife was a customer of mine once) and he told me how/when he got the plate, but I've managed to forget the story now...

According to Kevin Herron of the Classic cars parish...

It was bought by the current owner with a U.K reg in '74.
He thought it was a case of driving it down to the customs and registering it.
But at the time there was a law that stopped people importing cars unless they were motor traders.
The car was confiscated by the customs and impounded in the north of Ireland.
So he had to strip the car completley in a lock up in the six counties and import 'used car parts' bit by bit, nut and bolt, cut the chassis in two etc. and put it all back together when all the bits were here!!!

Selucas

What a great thread!

There's very detailed information about Irish car registrations on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Ireland

I'm currently getting an old Mini from 1980 restored. I'm going to get the original white/red registration plates made so that it will look just as it did the day it was bought. Will post the pics on here when it's finished.

carchaeologist

Welcome on boards Selucas, glad you are enjoying the thread ! What's the reg of your Mini?

carchaeologist

Some more spots from lately....

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carchaeologist

Some more from lately

Cragmore Matchbox

Hi there, I am new to this board but I have been reading the posts.

Very interested in these old style registrations.

I have had many over the years,

NI 8887 Wolseley 4/44
VIU 91 Volkswagen 1200 Type 1
662 BIU Triumph 1300
232 KIU Cortina 2.0GL
5009 IF Morris Marina
5 VYI Volve 265GLE
166 MIU Toyota Cressida
YTI 479 Ford Granada 2.0L
939 EZB Audi 1005D
OIV 432 Daihatsu Charade
Many more but they were post 1987 and with newer style plates.

I was really interested in the pictures posted by other members and I know many of the cars from the classic circuit.

Very interesting thoughts and ideas from many of you.

Cheers

Go Harvey Go

Thanks, Cragmore Matchbox.

Do you happen to be from Limerick, by any chance? 'Cause the VW 1200, Triumph 1300, Cortina, Cressida, Granada and Charade were all registered there (the Granada in Limerick City).

And the Charade's registration is of note, as OIV 520 was the last one in Limerick before the change.

Cragmore Matchbox

Hi Go Harvey Go

Yes I am from Limerick County ! The Charade was registered late in the year with just 88 or so cars to go to the end of an era.

You are well informed ! As indeed are other members and users. I have been interested in the whole number plating system since I was a child and this was passed to me by my father who was interested in this also.

Anybody interested in the old Trade Plates and which garages had them ? There were hundreds issued and I would love to have a listing for all counties. Maybe some members would have memories or photos or notes. These were the ones in red on a white plate. Usually the format was, for eg. 001 IU with either a triangle or rectangular plate at the upper side. This meant the plate was limited or unlimited. The format was never confused with the reverse format for regular cars because of the colour chiefly. Any info welcome and I will gladly share County Limerick details I have.

gobnaitolunacy

I think it's unfair that imported vintage/classic cars can't keep their original plates, forced to use crappy EU style numbers which don't look right at all.

Cragmore Matchbox

Hi there,

I may be doing something wrong? A notice on my Boards.ie page about new users and less than 25 threads. All Greek to me ! May I not contribute to the Registrations & motoring threads ? Cannot seem to see a method of contacting anyone. I do not want the account suspended. I am NOT from the media, just a private individual interested in Motoring matters etc. Maybe one of the Moderators could contact me by Email and we could clarify ?
Thanks

Cragmore Matchbox

I agree with you. ZV is boring and uninteresting. It is now also becoming almost illegible with all the digits. It would hjave been soooo much simpler and more regional to have imports use either their own plates (majority coming from UK or NI anyway) and if there were unusual German or other strange plates, just continue a system from the old sequences county by county, for example;

AIU 1000 to AIU 9999
BIU 1000 to BIU 9999 etc

ACI 1000 to ACI 9999 etc etc.
Dublin and other multiple letters counties would have had many more numbers to meet greater demand in those areas.

This system could have lasted for years and years and would be similar in layout to the N.I. system which is very readable and memorable. Then, just leave it at that and not be always fiddling with a system and making it impossible to understand.

Just my opinion for what it's worth.

Any comments ?