Re: Slightly off for our Brit Friends...

In article <KSAIg.684$wI5.583@trndny04> Trueno@xxxxxxxx "Hachiroku" writes:

"n5hsr" <n5hsr@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:K5-dnYrcAddU-2_ZnZ2dnUVZ_s6dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[discussion of previous UK car reg'n schemes: "..A" and "A.."]

Interesting. Thanks!

ISTR there were some wrinkles to the lettering sequence. Thus, I
don't think year-letters 'I', 'O' or 'Z' were used, due to their
similarity to '1', '0' and '2' (respectively). 'Q' was reserved
for specials, such as vehicles registered by members of foreign
forces visiting the UK, or kit cars.

The system in use today looks weird but is supposed to cope with
buyers of new cars who wait for the "new letter" in autumn. The
year code changes twice yearly and is mildly obfuscated. I can't
say anyone is being fooled, though.

Newer UK plates are of form:
<2 letters> <2 digits> <3 letters>

I am not unclear on what the letter groups tell you, beyond that
forms of regional letter groups have persisted. Digits show the
half-year. If the first is 0, it means first half-year, while 5
means second half-year. The second digit is the last digit of
the calendar year. So "05" means "first half of 2005". When we
reach 2010, I am guessing They will replace 0/5 by 1/6 (&c).

Hyacinth Bucket would have difficulty making flip classist cracks
with the new system, methinks. ;-)
--
Andrew Stephenson

.

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