Number plate memories

[calibrax]

The human memory is weird. Sometimes I will struggle to remember what I had for lunch yesterday, or what I did last Thursday. Or the name of someone I was introduced to just 10 minutes earlier.

But somehow I can instantly recall every number plate of every car I've ever owned. Not only that, I can also remember the plates of all the cars my dad ever owned.

Am I unique in this? Or do all petrolheads have this ability?

[williredale]

Not unique as I can do this too... Not all of the cars my parents had but most of them and all of the cars my wife has had as well.

[esso]

Me too....1st moped...XDU811K.....1st motorbike...BDU 6T.....1st car BON 69C !!!!....many more since then.

[P I Staker]

I cant remember what I had for tea last night but I too can remember the reg of the cars my Dad has had since I have been old enough to know what I'm looking at. I know the reg of both the cars I own and my Mums current.

[8potdave]

Ah! I too have this skill:
E838 VWF - dads company sierra 1987
D532 YTN - dads E28
F672 HWE - dads E34
K816 EHE - my first bike (FS1E)
H308 XAL - dads ZZR600
C597 NVK - first car (pug 205)

Could go on but this is seriously into 'cool story bro' territory now

[AlexRS2782]

Yep i can also remember all my cars and my mums cars previous plates as well.

Even sadder is that i can still remember a large number of the unique 6 figure codes that identified individual B&Q stores on the database that was used by the company i used to work for as a customer service manager. I left that job in April '08

[RosscoPCole]

I've had three number plates during my car owning history my current plate which I have had on different cars since I was 18. When I lived in Jersey I had J12775 and in Guernsey I had 32932. Kept the Guernsey plate as long as legally possible when I moved back to the UK as I liked the black plates on my black car.

[thinfourth2]

I can hardly remember what the number plate of the current cars

[Fubar1977]

Me too, right back through 15 of mine (A837 MHD) and around 12 of my dads back to the first car I
ever remember, a blue Volvo estate KBT 517N

[jay140285]

Yep its not just you who is special.

I have a brilliant memory at work, crap at home but great on cars and reg no's specs etc

[davetibbs]

I can remember all my parent's cars (Ford Escort A375 UOU, Vauxhall Carlton B93 MPE, Renault Savanna (ugh) M805 YTR) but weirdly, not their current one.

I can also remember my cars from J586 PAC through R75 PCF (sorely missed) to W608 YBA.

Edited by davetibbs on Tuesday 23 October 16:42

[Dr Interceptor]

Yup you're not alone.... in fact there's only one car I can't remember! A 2002 CLK320 I bought back in 2007, it had dealer name plates on when I went to view/buy it, and already had my own personal plate on when I picked it up. I never saw the original plate aside from on the old log book, and I can't remember it!

[AlleyCat]

I have this ability, but it goes for friends cars, and people who are jsut aquaintances, it seems i need only to have seen their plate twice and i can remember them.

i have generally keep this ability to myself as it creeps people out understandably.

oh and i couldnt tell you what i had for lunch yesterday. or what im meant to be doing this weekend.

[BigBen]

My old family Austin Maxi's numberplate was recently used in a crime novel that a friend wrote. He needed the number of a 70's BL car that was no longer on the road (EBH 276T)

Ben

[Captain Muppet]

I can't remember the number plate on the bike I've owned for over a decade, or the plates on any of my current cars.

Fortunately it doesn't seem to be important.

[markmullen]

I remember not only my own, but my dad's run of company cars (one every two or three years for the past 34 years) and not only that but plenty of the cars I've sold (up to 200 a year for the past 9 years).

[Grey Ghost]

Sadly I too can list the number plate of every car listed in my profile..........

[seeby]

Passed test in 73,1st car Morris 1100 896HLL,then Mini LLD998D,then XJ6 BLL57H,then Capri 3ltr Ghia TBP227M,then Dolly Sprint JTL989N, then Honda Civic JWL912S,then Company Tranny B569BOO,then Company Sierra F521UMD,thenCompany Tranny M632UMD then own Tranny M727WKD then Toyota W661WDY then 4 own vans own plate C7CBF.TVR Chim own plate K22CPB.

[firman]

First mini - HOS 64P
MKII Fiesta - WOI 2884
Seocond mini - E727 MAN
Peugeot 307 - MA02 SXP
MKI MR2 - G624 MKR
Puma - R46 XEG
MX5 - R792 MGH
Jag XJ6 - N140 FET
Isuzu Bighorn - L172 MDP
SLK - W10 GDH
Bimmer - P332 XGK

And strangely I can remember other plates just not the cars they match??

[forzaminardi]

Like mobile phone numbers, I can easily remember the registration of the LAST car I owned, but never the current one...