Black and Silver Plates - legaility

[quicksilver]

This is exactly what I blogged about a few weeks ago. There's certainly plenty of strong feelings here about an issue most normal(?) people couldn't care less about. Anyway, to save repeating myself here's what I  wrote on the subject: http://rustyoldrubbish.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/success-on-plate.html

[wuvvum]

I'm surprised Angrydicky hasn't commented on this thread yet, given how much he loves black and silver plates on '70s cars.

[Negative Creep]

I used to have black and silver plates on my 1976 Datsun 120Y. Never got questioned and I thought they looked nicer

 

 

U GOT A PROBLEM WIV THAT M8? BUILD A BRIDJE AN GET OVER IT

[AMC Rebel]

I used to have black and silver plates on my 1976 Datsun 120Y. Never got questioned and I thought they looked nicer

IT

I can't imagine it's high on the coppers to do list - and I bet 90% of them don't know the law anyway.

[Tamworthbay]

I used them on our 74 campervan, it was so damn slow,that I thought people might notice it was old if it had black and silver plates and be a bit more understanding. It generally worked but there are knobs everywhere.

[AMC Rebel]

This is exactly what I blogged about a few weeks ago. There's certainly plenty of strong feelings here about an issue most normal(?) people couldn't care less about. Anyway, to save repeating myself here's what I wrote on the subject: http://rustyoldrubbish.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/success-on-plate.html

Great blog post

[danthecapriman]

This is exactly what I blogged about a few weeks ago. There's certainly plenty of strong feelings here about an issue most normal(?) people couldn't care less about. Anyway, to save repeating myself here's what I  wrote on the subject: http://rustyoldrubbish.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/success-on-plate.html

Great blog post

I've just read the blog post, good read.

 

I then noticed the Sierra Base blog, another good read!

[P304r5]

My Peugeot has black and white plates, it's a 1975 car and they were on it when we got the car. Don't really like them but can't be bothered to change them seeing as they're legal anyway

[Eddie Honda]

but can't be bothered to change them seeing as they're legal anyway

You say they are, but if they are French style I don't think they are necessarily? Whilst there is no prescribed font for older plates, the characters (ex. 1 or I) are required to be - of a car that age - 57mm wide and a stroke width of 14mm

[coalnotdole]

My 1972 Scimitar GTE (K plate) came with pressed black plates, the origonal plates are not currently on the car but I do still have them. I guess having black plates in 72 probably says alot about the origonal owner of the car, registered in Surrey I belive!

 

Interestingly Dave's 1966 rebel saloon came with pressed yellow and white plates (non reflective) which I guess would make them a pretty early example of yellow and white. Think my 1965 Scimitar Coupe has a set of pressed yellow and blacks too.

 

My personal take on it is anything up to K reg suffix is ok on black pressed plates, L or newer just looks strange.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

 

My personal take on it is anything up to K reg suffix is ok on black pressed plates, L or newer just looks strange.

 

I feel the same way about them. I remember there being a number of cars with a 'K' suffix with black 'plates running around - a  rare-ish minority, but they were far from unknown. I remember black plates on 'H' plates and earlier being fairly common. I can't ever remember seeing an 'L' plate car with a black plate.

 

I guess that if you are 20 years old, 'L' plate cars and later with black 'plates don't look jarringly anachronistic/affected in the same way as they do to people old enough to remember them.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

This is exactly what I blogged about a few weeks ago. There's certainly plenty of strong feelings here about an issue most normal(?) people couldn't care less about. Anyway, to save repeating myself here's what I  wrote on the subject: http://rustyoldrubbish.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/success-on-plate.html

 

A good blog post, but one point you make isn't correct!

 

"Laminated plastic plates with printed characters didn't appear until the 1980s so they don't really look right on vehicles from the seventies - my 1981 Triumph Dolomite must have had some of the earliest examples."

 

These had definitely been introduced by the mid 1970s. My father had them fitted to a car he bought in August 1976. They were expensive (several times the price of the metal ones with raised letters) so tended to be fitted to more upmarket cars such as Jags, etc.  IIRC they were described as 'Wipe clean' or something similar.

 

 

Here is one used in the Jaguar XJ6 brochure from 1977:

 

[Uncle Jimmy]

Oh no. I changed the yellow/white and black plates on the 'L' reg Ovlov for black & silver, I feel so.....guilty.

The fucked yellow/white plates on the Scabrous Saab are actually different, I'm planning now, thanks to this Fred, on keeping them. If I am stopped by an officer of the LAW, what is the worst they can do to me?

[Uncle Jimmy]

Forgive me father for I have sinned.

[danthecapriman]

Same here,

 

 

I'm not changing them either!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

It's simple. 

 

 

 

[quicksilver]

A good blog post, but one point you make isn't correct!

 

"Laminated plastic plates with printed characters didn't appear until the 1980s so they don't really look right on vehicles from the seventies - my 1981 Triumph Dolomite must have had some of the earliest examples."

 

These had definitely been introduced by the mid 1970s. My father had them fitted to a car he bought in August 1976. They were expensive (several times the price of the metal ones with raised letters) so tended to be fitted to more upmarket cars such as Jags, etc.  IIRC they were described as 'Wipe clean' or something similar.

 

 

Here is one used in the Jaguar XJ6 brochure from 1977:

 

Thanks, didn't know that and don't recall seeing anything that old with plastic plates, I guess because they were expensive and rare. The eighties must have been when the price came down enough for them to become mainstream.

[wuvvum]

Forgive me father for I have sinned.

My L-reg 164 also has black and silver plates - they were on there when I bought it.  I see no reason to change them.

[worldofceri]

Guernsey registered cars invariably have black 'n' silvers. Must be legal still for all years. I reckon they look the business.

[Uncle Jimmy]

My L-reg 164 also has black and silver plates - they were on there when I bought it.  I see no reason to change them.

piccies please!

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Forgive me father for I have sinned.

 

 

That is a lovely thing in genuinely amazing condition - but it would look EVEN BETTER with reflective plates!

 

American cars are an exception for me, strangely. They don't look wrong to me with black plates providing they are the proper big '70s ones, rather than the pale shadows they replaced them with in the '80s. I think it is because they are exotic. My mind tells me they're foreign!

[AMC Rebel]

Santa Pod 1979

 

 

Unknown date in 70s

 

 

Date unknown - new paint and illegal plates - up to this time it had been two versions of two tone red/white and all white -

 

 

As bought, with yet another paint job

 

[AMC Rebel]

Prior to my ownership -

 

 

As bought - reasonably sure the E reg plates are the originals

 

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Lovely cars.

[pompei]

I saw a C plate red E type roadster today with stick-on front plate on the bonnet.  I don't think it would have looked right if it had been a reflective plate.

[wuvvum]

piccies please!

Umm...

 

Here it is in happier times (about 9 years ago).  I'm too embarrassed to post a picture of what it looks like at the moment.

 

 

In fact just looking at that picture is making me sad.

[AMC Rebel]

Lovely cars.

Cheers - some of them are sadly going backwards under my ownership  but doing my best

[AMC Rebel]

These look fine to me (although they are later)

 

 

 

[AMC Rebel]

This, on the other hand...

 

 

[Uncle Jimmy]

Umm...

 

Here it is in happier times (about 9 years ago).  I'm too embarrassed to post a picture of what it looks like at the moment.

 

 

In fact just looking at that picture is making me sad.

Sorry to hear that you haven't the opportunity to keep on top of things. Is the beast manual or auto?