Paul Narramore
pre-moderated
- Messages
- 840
- Location
- Aylesford, Kent
In the 1960s I was a squady based in Moenchen-Gladback at a base where 'retired' Army/RAF vehicles came to be sold off in quantities ie five or ten at a time. Armoured cars, Land Rovers/motorbikes, allsorts. I had been conned by an RAF lad in that I'd bought a gleaming 998cc Mini Cooper from him. Had I checked underneath I would have discovered a complete lack of underseal, lots of surface rust, and a complete lack of outer sills. They'd rotted off. But it was a lovely pale blue with a white roof an a GRP front end. "A fool and his money...." Once I'd realised the foolishness of my purchase, said RAF-type was happily back in Blighty, so one way or another I bought a 'retired' ex-RAF Mini and swopped the engine/seats/steering wheel/6J wheels over, and then drove it back to the UK. It was issued an 'L' reg by the local authority but being both LHD and RAF grey/blue with painted out RAF roundels, it stood out from the crowd. After being stopped a couple of times by suspicious Old Bill, I got her respayed light blue with a white roof and swopped the steering rack for a RHD one and swopped the pedals over.....then sold the thing. The foolishness of yoof!
(Later) I do sympathise with those you fit French-type numberplates, I really do as I also like them, but the reason for the law is that Numberplate Recognition Cameras struggle to read any typeface other than the officially recognised and legal ones, hence no italics and altered spacing. Just suppose for instance that your car gets stolen and is driven through the Dartford Tunnel. their cameras (apparently) would not be able to read your non-standard numberplates.
(And there's more) Yes the UK front numberplate does scrape on the small hump on the chassis front, so I've filed a gentle curve along the bottom edge of the plate to cure this.
(Later) I do sympathise with those you fit French-type numberplates, I really do as I also like them, but the reason for the law is that Numberplate Recognition Cameras struggle to read any typeface other than the officially recognised and legal ones, hence no italics and altered spacing. Just suppose for instance that your car gets stolen and is driven through the Dartford Tunnel. their cameras (apparently) would not be able to read your non-standard numberplates.
(And there's more) Yes the UK front numberplate does scrape on the small hump on the chassis front, so I've filed a gentle curve along the bottom edge of the plate to cure this.
