Front number plates

[mlj]

Im sure most of you know Shmee and the others round London with their camera's.

I've noticed that a lot of the supercars haven't bothered with front number plates; 458, gallardo etc.

Do they get away with it becuase frankly they look so much better without them.

[davepoth]

Most of them are UAE registered, and since daddy owns the country it's not going to be a problem.

[VtecLover]

think a few supercars are extempt as they have no front plate holder fitted from factory buddy

[streaky]

VtecLover said:

think a few supercars are extempt [sic] as they have no front plate holder fitted from factory buddy

The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 provides no such exemptions for UK registered cars.

The Road Vehicles Display of Registration Marks Regulations 2001 said:

Fixing of front registration plates: vehicles registered on or after the relevant date

6.—(1) This regulation applies to vehicles, other than works trucks, road rollers and agricultural machines, first registered on or after the relevant date.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (5), a registration plate must be fixed on the front of the vehicle in the manner required by paragraph (3).

(3) This paragraph requires the plate to be fixed —
(a) vertically or, where that is not reasonably practicable, in a position as close to the vertical as is reasonably practicable,
(b) in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are easily distinguishable from every part of a relevant area having the diagonal length specified in paragraph (4).

(4) The diagonal length of the relevant area is —
(a) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is at least 57 millimetres, 22 metres,
(b) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 50 millimetres, 21.5 metres,
(c) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 44 millimetres, 18 metres.

(5) In the case of a motor cycle or a motor tricycle which does not have a body of a type which is characteristic of the body of a four-wheeled vehicle —
(a) a registration plate must not be fixed on the front of a vehicle if it was first registered on or after 1st September 2001,
(b) a plate need not be fixed on the front of the vehicle if it was first registered before 1st September 2001.

Streaky

Edited by streaky on Saturday 30th April 11:25

[herewego]

I think it a bit surprising that any manufacturer wanting their vehicles to be used on the public road isn't required to provide a suitable vertical flat surface for the number plate.

[GKP]

swerni said:

no cars are exempt, some people just don't bother as they look better without.

But they don't look better. They look unfinished, almost as if something has fallen off.

[wildcat45]

Are those stick on ones that you see on E Types and MKI MX-5s illegal?

[saaby93]

GKP said:

But they don't look better. They look unfinished, almost as if something has fallen off.

Same with bumpers
If you look at an S1 elise it's crying out for chrome bumpers as in an Emma Peel Elan

[Disco You]

wildcat45 said:

Are those stick on ones that you see on E Types and MKI MX-5s illegal?

An E type may have a classic exemption but on an MX-5 it is illegal as it isn't reflective or the correct shape etc.

[saaby93]

Disco You said:

An E type may have a classic exemption but on an MX-5 it is illegal as it isn't reflective or the correct shape etc.

As far as I know there's nothing about shape - so long as there's 11 mm between characters and 33mm between a group etc.
The rules only apply to the reflective sticky film anyway, even though most of us buy a number plate with a 3mm thick backing plate

[fangio]

'Course not! It's a Yank tank and they don't do front plates in America, do they?

And it's the fogs spoiling the first pic, not the number plate!

[PoleDriver]

Does anyone know of a supplier for a legal(ish) stick-on front number plate?