1963 Registration. Suffix or not?

[ollieoscarsid]

Hi all, I've just registered my 63FHC (US Import), It was manufactured 5th June 1963 and have heritage cert etc.
DVLA have issued a V5 stating manufacture date as 1st Jan 1964 and given a 'B' suffix plate. This is (I think) wrong and the car should have an 'A' suffix. However, my main question is can anyone clarify the start date of the Suffix plates? Most seem to think it's Feb 63, but some say Aug 63, in which case my car would require (Hopefully :-) a dateless plate. I have a March 63 car also which is registered as dateless. Thanks in advance Chris

[rswaffie]

Mine is a Nov 63 build date and dvla issued an A suffix registration which I believe is correct. So you should either have dateless or an A, not a B.

[mgcjag]

Hi Chris....date letters started 1st Jan 1963....but not all local councils adopted it on that date....Steve

[dlgis]

As Steve says some councils didn't start issuing A plates on 1st Jan 63 as they still had enough dateless plates left, and a very few didn’t start issuing dated plates til C reg on 1st Jan 65. It may be that the dvla is taking the view thata Jun63 built car may not have been sold (and therefore registered) til 1964 hence the B, but more likely it’s a case of “close enough”. If you wanted a dateless plate as many 63 cars had then you’re prob best off buying one as a private plate although you’d be unlikely to get one (except N Irish) for <£800.

[ollieoscarsid]

Thanks everyone, that all makes sense, and explains why my March 63 car is dateless. I think I’ll still go back to DVLA and try to get the year of manufacture changed to 63, it doesn’t look good to have 63 on the heritage cert and 64 on the V5.

[SESH]

I have an original UK delivered TR4 registered on 28 June 1963 and it doesn't have a suffix letter.
Mike

[Heuer]

Up until October 1963 car registration plates in the UK consisted of up to three letters and up to three numbers or two letters and four numbers of 3.5" height on a black plate. The individual characters were typically white or silver and made of plastic or aluminium. For cars registered after October 1963 onwards the characters were 3 1/8" high, reduced in size to accommodate a seventh alpha character to denote year of first registration. The font used was 'Charles Wright'.

[ollieoscarsid]

Ok, thanks. I’ve sent the V5 back to DVLA. So long as they correct the ‘declared manufactured’ date to 63 I’ll be happy. Hopefully they’ll also issue an ‘A’ suffix plate too, or even better a dateless. Chris.