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Re: Finally getting a Trabi! #16
vdubbin vdubbin Ireland Sign in to contact 1987 Trabant 601s Limosine	May 30, 2013 10:51 AM Joined 12 years ago 342 Posts

In the UK, a Q plate is issued to kit cars, or modified cars that no longer conform to Type Approval .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_Kingdom,_Crown_dependencies_and_overseas_territories#1960s_to_1982

Quote: It was used on vehicles of indeterminate age, such as those assembled from kits, substantial rebuilds, or imported vehicles where the documentation is insufficient to determine the age. There was a marked increase in the use of Q registrations in the late 1980s and early 1990s, fuelled by car crime.[citation needed] Many stolen vehicles had false identities given to them, and when this was discovered and the original identity could not be determined, a Q registration would be issued to such vehicle. It was seen as an aid to consumer protection.

By the late 1990s, the range of available numbers was once again starting to run out, exacerbated by a move to biannual changes in registration letters (March and September) in 1999 to smooth out the bulge in registrations every August, so a new scheme needed to be adopted. It was decided to research a system that would be easier for crash or vehicle related crime witnesses to remember and clearer to read, yet still fit within a normal standard plate size.

It's a bit of a double edged sword, some kit car owners are proud to use a Q plate, to signify the car is all their own work, rather than use the age-realted plate that the donor car would have used.

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Re: Finally getting a Trabi! #17
Justin51982 NA NA Na, NA, USA Sign in to contact	May 30, 2013 02:11 PM Joined 15 years ago 2,189 Posts

[USER=921]vdubbin[/USER], I can tell you're going to be a great addition to this site already