Number plate sizes (or not at all)

[gavinp]

I promise I did a search first before writing this!

Dealer suggested most owners don't fit a front plate. First time in for petrol without one I was refused service as they couldn't ID the car in case of a drive off.

What do owners here tend to do? No plate? Stick on? Small (probably too small) stick on?

Thanks

[flemke]

You mean on a modern McLaren?

[topjay]

Just always make sure the rear of the car faces the kiosk, if that was your only problem with it.

[anonymous-user]

Chuck a number plate on the dash when you stop at the pump or run a small plate. My local garage seem ok with both.

[flemke]

topjay said:

Just always make sure the rear of the car faces the kiosk, if that was your only problem with it.

Yes, but it is an odd question. Unlike many modern sports cars, modern McLarens have been designed specifically with a natural place for a reg plate - it does not interfere with air flow and does not create an anomalous shape on the bodywork. It's just letters and numbers on a white rectangle instead of paint.
The only exception is the P15, but, insofar as the first car won't be delivered for another few months, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the OP is not talking about one of those.

[tyrrell]

No plate for me keeps falling off I have never been refused petrol in 18 months of ownership.

[Yipper]

About a third of supercar owners now keep their cars plate-free. Just stick it in the dash window.

[w11dys]

If you want a plate that is designed specifically to fit on the car have a look at fourdot - not cheap but do a great range of vehicle specific plates for front and rear and can also do some design elements if thats your thing.

[RamboLambo]

Depends on the car in question - I run a standard plate on my 650S spider because I actually think it looks wrong without it as the space where it goes is quite large anyway. On the 570S I ran a slightly smaller number plate and on the Lamborghini Huracan Performante I will run a smaller plate again.

Running no plate at all is not an option for me, its seems to be a major crime in my neck of the woods

[gavinp]

Sorry, should have said, 570s.

[andrew]

Yipper said:

About a third of supercar owners now keep their cars plate-free. Just stick it in the dash window.

yeah, somehow nothing quite beats the thrill of running around at supercar speeds with a loose, sharpish, object on the dash !

[Ferruccio]

Don’t give the cops the pleasure of fining you.......

[Cockernee]

Stick on for me. Standard size, letters etc.

[The Surveyor]

I have a slightly smaller plate on the front of my 570s,

I wouldn't risk running it without a plate and really don't like the idea of driving around with a plate wedged behind the windscreen.

[Macboy]

As a previous owner of a couple of VX220s almost everyone ran small front number plates and there were multiple forum posts of cars stopped by the Police, cautioned for plate size or actually fined. It's not merely anecdotal - last year we drove past North Wales Police pulling sports cars and bikes over in the parking area next to Bala Lake and measuring plates (in addition to silencer checks and other bike related stuff). It may be location dependent but some forces seem to take this pretty seriously fwiw.

[RBT0]

Hello Gents,
Picking my McLaren soon, any advice?

Sticker reg plate, is it legal if same size as std plate? What if size is reduced but just outside lettering, keeping size of letters as standard?

Thanks in advance

[slf2012]

The law is pretty clear. Sticker plates are not legal, and font is clearly specified on government website.

Whether you will be pulled up is a different matter but if you are, you’re relying on the goodwill of the Feds as to whether it’s an issue or not.

[flemke]

slf2012 said:

The law is pretty clear. Sticker plates are not legal, and font is clearly specified on government website.

Whether you will be pulled up is a different matter but if you are, you’re relying on the goodwill of the Feds as to whether it’s an issue or not.

Unless they have recently changed the rules, a "sticker" plate is legal - if it meets certain requirements.
I don't have them in front of me (and, rather outrageously, for a member of the public to obtain a copy of the rules he/she must pay a hefty fee to BSI), but they say that the letters must be on material that meets a reflectivity test (not a problem), must be mounted on a rigid backing (metal bonnet or carbon PU is certainly rigid), must be as vertical as is practicable (will vary from car to car), and all the letters must be legible from a certain side angle (so it cannot have a lot of curvature or be bent in the middle). There may be some others requirements but those were the gist.
One of those cars that have the front reg mounted almost flat on the splitter obviously would not meet all these tests. If however you make a best effort to mount a sticker plate on front-facing bodywork (such as the front of the bonnet of an E-type, which has no obvious place for a standard plate) and it is reasonably visible - and of course with the proper font and spacing - you should not have a problem.

[RBT0]

The McLaren Fr bumper is slightly curved in the middle, planning to put centered so sticker plate would be a bit bent in the middle.

Seen this on many of them, even with standard rigid plate mounted with double sided tape.

[Superleg48]

I run with this. No, it is not technically legal....but a little more legal than nothing at all. No issues with this so far. At least I am showing willing!