Car Race Systems

Early car registration plates did not have a ‘year identifier’ as they do now, and these are called dateless car registration plates. The UK was divided up into regions and each region had a different number combination assigned to it, the number plates were simply issued as and when they were needed. However, nobody forecasted that there would be so many cars on the road as there is nowadays. An alternative system had to be put into place, with more letters and numbers added, as the number of cars on the road increased.

The replacement system for number plates were called prefix and suffix plates because of the numbers added at the start or at the end of the old style plates. In 2001 the DVLA updated the number plate assignment system again, and these are called the ‘new style’ plates, with even more complicated number configurations. Dateless plates however are made up out of three letters, and up to four figures with letters in front and then the figures, or vice versa.

Dateless number plates can be worth a lot – think ‘F 1’ – because there is no year identifier, which means it is easier to associate some sort of word or phrase within the confines of the number plate configuration. They’re also very popular because they can disguise the age of the car, a fact that can be quite important for drivers who buy second hand cars.

Of course the most popular dateless plates can be incredibly expensive, so you might not be able to afford the exact plate that you would like, as prices can vary from a couple of hundred pounds, to the recent record-breaking £500,000 paid for the plate ‘M1’.

Really exclusive number plates with a specific meaning that is easily understood are rare and command incredibly high prices. Here’s a list of the five most expensive number plates ever sold.

‘K1 NGS’, at £231,000
This number plate was purchased in 1993 and held the record for most expensive number plate until 2005. This particular plate set the precedent for willingness to pay for expensive plates, which later turned into a booming market.

‘GS 1′, sold for £258,775 in Perth, Scotland
The pre-auction predicted price for this price was a much lower £80,000, but bidding by an anonymous bidder pushed the price up to £258,775. The plate was originally issued on 22 July 2005.

‘VIP 1′, at a price of £285,000
Owned by Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, the purchase price of £285,000 was paid in 1996. Before that the plate was placed on an Irish vehicle in which Pope John Paul II was driven around when he visited Ireland.

‘M 1′, for £331,500
M 1, referring to the first and last name of Mike McCoomb from Liverpool, was apparently bought for his eleven year old son who at the time was unable to drive – obviously. Mike McCoomb made his fortune in the mobile phone business.

’5′, for an unbelievable £3,500,000
This plate was not sold in Britain, but is nonetheless the most expensive private number plate in the world. The plate was purchased by Talal Al Khoury who surprisingly said that the plate had absolutely no significance for him whatsoever – leaving the reason for spending so much money on a number plate undetermined. The bigger question is, will he ever be able to sell it for that price?

There are millions of possible number plates and if you’re trying to find a number plate you like, it can be a tricky affair, considering the restrictions on the contents of a number plate. The DVLA has certain limits on which sequence of letters can appear on a number plate, with the latest regulations, put in place in 2001, the most complicated so far. The ‘current style’ plates consist out of two alphabetic or numeric letters, two numbers, a space and then three alphabetic or numeric letters which puts a serious limit on what the number plate can say. The previous number plates called the prefix and suffix styles are a little easier to work with, but still pose limits.

Thankfully, a couple of the more reputable sellers of private number plates have websites with fancy search engines, which make the task a little easier. For example, a search engine will let you choose the basic fixed letters, which are limited, and then shows you a search box with the fixed letters indicated and a blank field representing the letters which you are free to choose. You then enter the letters you’d like to see, the search engine shows you whether the specific registration number is available, and if not, which alternatives are on offer.

Some plates, especially the rarer date-free ones, won’t be found using a search engine; the best places to look are on the websites of companies who specialise in very rare plates, or in the classifieds of newspapers and motoring magazines.

UK car number plates, also known as registration marks or registration plates are mandatory for all vehicles driven in the UK.  The numbers on these plates have changed over time, and a somewhat interesting, if inexact science, coined by the phrase ‘autonumerology’ has sprung up. 

The history of UK number plates goes back to 1903 when the Motor Car Act was passed.  At that time, a number and a digit was all that was required.  However, the idea of motor cars, scoffed at by many at that point in time, soon caught on, and the number of plates possible was quickly reached.

Since then various schemes have been employed, but the overall plan remains assignment of a unique number to a specific vehicle and owner, and then registration of that number with the appropriate entity, currently the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, or DVLA. 

Number plates must be maintained on the vehicle if it is to be driven on Great Britain’s roadways.  Also, the colours and size of the numerals and digits on the plate must be visible from a distance.

A pilot programme is underway currently to test the efficiency of radio chips in motorcycle plates, as well as on the vehicle itself.  Motorcycles, having smaller plates as well as being physically much smaller than a car, have a much higher rate of non-compliance with licensing and registration matters, and the DVLA is trying several options to combat this, as it has impacted their revenue.  The plate and/or vehicle could be “read” via the chip, rather than by the numbers and letters on the plate itself.

Yet UK car number plates can have a value of their own, especially if the plate is personalised, has a memorable number, or is a low-numbered cherished plate.  You may decide the plate on your car is as much an investment as a registration requirement.