The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Apologies if this is yawn inducing old news to everyone, but the line in the sand 1973 rule might be more fluid than I thought. Seems that the law that defines what is tax exempt as a historic fleet vehicle, also apply to its number plates, meaning that a pre January 1975 vehicle can now have a black number plate.

https://insidedvla.blog.gov.uk/2015/11/ ... er-plates/

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Current fleet: '75 Sprint, '73 1850, Daihatsu Fourtrak, Honda CG125, Yamaha Fazer 600, Shetland 570 (yes it's a boat!)

Past fleet: Triumph 2000, Lancia Beta Coupe, BL Mini Clubman, Austin Metro, Vauxhall Cavalier MK1 & MK2, Renault 18 D, Rover 216 GSI, Honda Accord (most expensive car purchase, hated, made out of magnetic metal as only car I've ever been crashed into...4 times), BMW 318, Golf GTi MK3 16v x 3

FINALLY!!!! The official confirmation we've been waiting for! This has been mooted and rumoured for the last year or so but this is the first time i've seen anything in black and white under a DVLA header. Yet the change is effective as of last April! It surprises me that I am surprised by how slow the wheels of buerocracy turn!
Still not sure if I will be dashing out to buy black plates for the Carledo though, possibly the yellow ones go better with Carmine and it would mean losing my vintage original rear plate.

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

I'm not that fussed to be honest for my car, think I'd rather a pair of the raised digit classic 70's style plates that Tipper's do, but on the list of things to spend £45 on I'll wait until I'm feeling a bit flushed, or drunk in charge of a credit card!

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Current fleet: '75 Sprint, '73 1850, Daihatsu Fourtrak, Honda CG125, Yamaha Fazer 600, Shetland 570 (yes it's a boat!)

Past fleet: Triumph 2000, Lancia Beta Coupe, BL Mini Clubman, Austin Metro, Vauxhall Cavalier MK1 & MK2, Renault 18 D, Rover 216 GSI, Honda Accord (most expensive car purchase, hated, made out of magnetic metal as only car I've ever been crashed into...4 times), BMW 318, Golf GTi MK3 16v x 3

I have an irrational hatred of black and silver plates on '70's cars, even '60s cars look better with white and yellow raised digit plates.

Anything pre '65 is ok, but the lettering has to be white and not pressed metal, raised digits or painted!!

My dad told me that you would have never had black and silver plates in the 70's too old, the kind of thing my granddad would have had, yellow and white was 'the new thing'!!

I have an even greater hatred of black and silver plates on brand new black cars.

I love the black/silver perspex plates with the lines etched into the digits, but at £60+ a pair these days, frankly, I have better things to spend my money on.
As you say James, the reflective plates were fitted to most new cars well in advance of the 1/1/73 cutoff date and many "older" cars were also "updated" at the time with reflective plates. Times, tastes and fashions change and now the black plates are sought after, even to the point of being blatantly and illegally fitted to modern cars. But then when our cars were new, black was a very unpopular colour for paintwork and many manufacturers didn't offer it in the 60s and 70s. Triumph did, but it was always a cost option (except on the SE of course). Now black is THE most popular colour and actually adds value to your eurobox on resale! There's nowt as strange as folk!

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

Is it true that it wasn't that black was unpopular but more that the underlying bodywork had to be perfect otherwise imperfections would be shown up. A lot of manufacturers just couldn't get the bodies good enough.

I know a couple of US cars had shells hand picked from the production line when painted black.

Back to the plates, you're right, it is personal preference and I think more fashion nowadays.

It's quite true that black shows up imperfections better than any other colour, however cars had largely been black since before the days of Henry Ford. I can't believe they were better made then! During the 50s there was a sort of rebellion against black cars, they were seen as a reminder of wartime austerity. Plus our transatlantic cousins were setting trends in bright colours (and fins-n-chrome) I think that's mainly what did it.

Steve

_________________
'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.