Lancia Motor Club

General => General Chat => Topic started by: chugga boom on 04 January, 2014, 08:31:26 PM



Title: italian plates
Post by: chugga boom on 04 January, 2014, 08:31:26 PM
abot 12 yrs ago when I restored my appia I had an Italian sized (highly illegal ) front number plate made , I have 2 fulvias that both need such plates making for them to go on the Italian licence mounting fitted when bumpers are not, anyone know where I can get these made ?? I've trawled ebay and the net with little success so any help appreciated , metal or plastic would be fine aslong as black and silver


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: Sliding Pillar on 04 January, 2014, 08:41:26 PM
Tippers vintage plates


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: lancialulu on 04 January, 2014, 08:57:07 PM
I confirm Tippers.

I asked my MOT man re legality as I tried to get my sport through with them on. He is generally quite tough so was expecting the answer in the negative. I was surprised to hear him say that if they are legible and are fitted to the plate surround provided by the manufacturer then it is OK - and passed my car!!

I have them fitted to my Flavia, HF (bumperless) and Sport (plate surround sourced in Italy for bumper) but always carry the big plate in the boot just in case.


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chugga boom on 04 January, 2014, 09:01:43 PM
funny as 1 of my mot men wont let it through if I fit it  >:( tippers looks good only problem I have at the moment is no v5's hense I've been looking at show plates , thankyou both for the lead I will give them a call, j


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chriswgawne on 04 January, 2014, 09:12:52 PM
I wanted totally authentic looking period Italian style plates for our Fulvia GTE including the little * feature in the centre of the plates and in the end I got them from www.licenseplates.tv in the USA. They are display plates only but look great IMHO. I also carry a set of miore legal plates in the car but I haven't been stopped yet.
According to my order acknowledgement my front plate is 'Italy Mini Euro front issued between 1932 and 1976' and the rear is 'Italy Euro square license plate issued between 1932 and 1976'.


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: SanRemo78 on 04 January, 2014, 11:33:09 PM
I managed to get a set of "appropriate" plates for the Stratos replica as did a friend...... For show purposes only of course. After one show at the NEC, three days on the stand, he raced to get out (successfully) and got home okay, a little faster than anticipated and is still hoping a certain European collector hasn't got a speeding ticket............

Oops.


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: Kevin MacBride on 05 January, 2014, 11:33:53 AM
I fitted one to my car years ago. Got it in a local factors, pressed metal. Used for motorcyles.


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chriswgawne on 05 January, 2014, 12:22:33 PM
What I should have perhaps also made clear is that all the UK sources for small plates I have used in the past could never produce a plate down to the size of the genuine Italian one which fits into (not over) the recess in the chrome/ss fitting on the bumper. Also the font is never correct and neither could they produce the * which appears on old Italian plates. I have UK sourced motorcycle size plates on our Aurelia's but for the GTE I made a particular effort to get the real thing.
All of the small front plates are illegal in the UK I believe but I do have a correct sized plate available for each car if required. That's my story and I am stocking to it!
Chris


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: simonandjuliet on 05 January, 2014, 01:43:41 PM
Getting the number plate right is really important for the look of a car, I love the little badge-let on Chris' plates !

When I bought my '72 Dino Spyder it had yellow/white plates on it and they looked soooo wrong, it changed the back of the car completely - they were the first things to go. Here we have a slightly different issue, when you buy a new car or change some details on the CG (V5) you must move to the new format , if the car hasn't already been updated. The problem is that it doesn't really work for square plates, because you have to keep the hyphens, otherwise an MOT failure - and they do fail them

We can however use the black and silver format legally , if the car is on a "collection" CG

ps the pink 4L is not mine !


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: the.cern on 05 January, 2014, 02:06:09 PM
Hi James, my recollection is that anything non standard is illegal!!!! This includes font, font size, plate size, spacing, colour and also the location and colouring of fixings, especially if they may make the plate more difficult to read. This has largely come about because of the use of ANPR cameras which cannot interpret or think. Also, it is illegal to have additional features, badges etc which are non standard.

To date, I am not aware of anyone, having been stopped by the police, being refused permission to continue after a legal plate has been used to replace the illegal plate so long as it is fitted according to the regulations. So, if you can obtain suitable plates, make sure you carry a legal set and also that it will be easy to fit them by the side of the road. The size difference between Italian and UK style plates may require a little forethought Think particularly about lighting for the rear plate!!!

I'm delighted to see things progressing so well on the 1600HF, things have slowed even more on the B20 but we are still moving forward, just!!

                                    Andy



Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chugga boom on 05 January, 2014, 04:32:00 PM
Andy your quite right in what you say, spoke to a traffic officer that I know well and he pretty much said what you said


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: Tim Ray on 05 January, 2014, 04:36:10 PM
Here in France the number plates must be fixed using pop rivets. Is it the same in the UK?
Regards
Tim


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: richardgcs on 05 January, 2014, 06:23:43 PM
Andy your quite right in what you say, spoke to a traffic officer that I know well and he pretty much said what you said
With the greatest respect this is incorrect. there is a 'loophole'. See www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/2687/regulations/5/made


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chugga boom on 05 January, 2014, 06:28:24 PM
I cant get the link to open ???


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: richardgcs on 05 January, 2014, 06:29:39 PM
Sorry, try www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/2687/regulation/5/made


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: DavidLaver on 05 January, 2014, 06:40:06 PM

Chris - what a find !!!   The little star is new to me.  What is it?  Why?  Got a close up?

Andy - I expect Southend police know the plate regs better than most...

David


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: nyssa7 on 05 January, 2014, 06:48:00 PM

Andy - I expect Southend police know the plate regs better than most...

David

That would surprise me completely, had to explain the regs for plates on import vehicles to one officer who didn't like the plates on my Cadillac truck

And my k coupe has been running yellow at both ends Dutch format plates since I bought it nearly 14 years ago. Local coppers who have seen the car just ask whether I have to go back to Holland yearly or something. I've got the correct white Dutch trailer plate for when I'm towing to complete the effect


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chugga boom on 05 January, 2014, 07:00:26 PM
I knew imports were allowed as I think mazda mx5 imports have a much smaller recess in the boot for a licence plate than a uk model however I doubt you would get away with it on a "non imported" car, worth a try though I will certainly ask the next traffic officer who comes in and I think i'll try and blag the mot man with it, let you know how I get on , j


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: richardgcs on 05 January, 2014, 07:09:21 PM
Surely ALL foreign cars are imported ?


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chugga boom on 05 January, 2014, 07:18:28 PM
not if its built for the uk market, think about a low light fulvia , "import" eyebrow lamp model is a  UK car so not an import as it was specifically altered for the uk market to meet our rules and regs including number plates and sold new in the uk, crazy really but the legislation you put the link too does clearly say import


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: richardgcs on 05 January, 2014, 08:12:10 PM
not if its built for the uk market, think about a low light fulvia , "import" eyebrow lamp model is a  UK car so not an import as it was specifically altered for the uk market to meet our rules and regs including number plates and sold new in the uk, crazy really but the legislation you put the link too does clearly say import
[/quote
Exactly=legislation says 'any vehicle imported into the UK'.


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: chugga boom on 05 January, 2014, 09:05:21 PM
im pretty sure it would be a personal import for a vehicle built to a none uk specification otherwise why would car manufacturers have to alter vehicles to take uk sized plates or move headlamps etc to meet the uk's laws, import is a broad term , most Americans call anything none American an import referring to I being foreign however generally in the motor industry it referes to a car that was origionally sold to a different market and then imported privately to the uk at a later date, my integrale was an import as it was origionally a company car in Italy and imported to the uk when it was 5yrs old, however my dedra was not as it was origionally sold in the uk new, when ever I ordered something for the delta it came up on the VRM as an import however none of my other vehicles do, fairly confident that's how the system works,


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: nyssa7 on 05 January, 2014, 10:47:46 PM
From the perspective of the DVLA regs, an import is usually meant as grey import from Japan, or from the US where the bumper recesses Re made for Japan/US number plates which are smaller than UK ones

These vehicles are allowed to use smaller size plates with a smaller font size

None of these really enable us to use imitation plates from another country, no shortage of old Citroens running round with faux French plates  lately tend to see a lot of more modern BMWs running faux German plates

My Dutch plates tend not to draw attention because the k coupe was never sold in the UK, still has the NL country sticker on the boot, the Dutch dealer number plate surround and is obviously LhD, so looks convincingly "foreign" at first glance


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: ColinMarr on 05 January, 2014, 10:52:22 PM
Pressed metal, as for motor cycle plates worked well for me and fitted neatly inside the original stainless steel recessed fitting on the front bumper. The MOT man I used happily turned a blind eye. Happy days!

Colin


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: Dilambdaman on 06 January, 2014, 11:10:02 AM
Alfa Romeo 156 and 159 have always had front plates offset to the near side. Would be difficult to do otherwise!

Used to run the ex-works Fulvia 1.3HF with the number on the front of the bonnet which was technically wrong but never got stopped nor failed an MOT.

Years ago I managed to get LAC 1E made up without the space between the C and 1 but was stopped in Bromley by the Traffic Police and told that if they saw it again they would book me! Nowadays I'm happy with the space, being old and grumpy enough to despise the many who 'fiddle' about with spacing and positioning of fixings etc for effect.

Robin.


Title: Re: italian plates
Post by: fay66 on 06 January, 2014, 07:41:35 PM
I  think this is a bit of a case of making a mountain out of a mole hill, I've been running "Fay" on a small front plate supplied by Tippers since about 2006, I've never been stopped or had a comment made about it, as Chris Says the Tipper plate fits over the recess rather than in it but you'd need to know what you're looking for to see the difference, if you want the plate to fit in the recess as Chris does then fine, but otherwise I think we're worrying about a problem that in practical terms doesn't exist.
If I do get stopped at sometime then that's the time I'll worry about it, but seeing the blatant misuse and deliberate breaking of the law with illegal number plates due to spacing,or script on many modern cars and top of the range 4x4's in particular, I think the Police have better targets than us to concern them, around here we even had a Chrylser 300 Estate running around on Silver and black plates even though it was registered in 2010, and no one seemed to bother about that.
"Fay" is a UK spec car but if I ever get pulled I'll argue the case that the number plate fits the holder.

Brian
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