ser 3 number plate

[jonhall88]

Having owned the car for some years (1973 ser 3) I have only just noticed that in all this time the rear plate is a black one, pretty sure legally it should be yellow but have never been pulled over or had it questioned. I don.t fancy changing it at it looks much nicer than the yellow ones !
jon

ps reg march 73

[Heuer]

"All vehicles manufactured after 1 January 1973 must display number plates of reflex-reflecting material, white at the front and yellow at the rear, with black characters. This type of reflecting plate was permitted as an option from 1968: many vehicles first registered before 1973 may therefore carry the white/yellow reflective plates and, where they were first registered during or after 1968, they may have carried such plates since new. Older British plates had white, grey or silver characters on a black background. This style of plate was phased out in 1972 and, until 2012, legal to be carried only on vehicles first registered before 1 January 1973. A vehicle which was first registered on or after 1 January 1973 shall be treated as if it was first registered before that date if it was constructed before 1 January 1973 (as specified in http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/made PART IV MISCELLANEOUS). However, the Finance Bill 2014 and subsequent Finance Acts extended the Historic Vehicle class cut-off year from 1973 to 1974 and subsequently, a rolling forty years. This had the effect of linking eligibility to display old-style plates with 'Tax Exempt' vehicle status. It follows that the older style plates are now available for any vehicle constructed 40 or more, years ago provided that an application has been to the DVLA to have the vehicle included in the historic vehicle class; it is so registered and is nil-rated for Vehicle Excise Duty."

For Pete:
"Motorcycles formerly had to display a front plate, which was usually but not always a double-sided plate on top of the front mudguard, curved to follow the contour of the wheel and visible from the sides. The requirement for the front number plate was dropped in 1975 because of the severe danger these presented to pedestrians in the event of a collision; this risk had prompted the slang term "pedestrian slicer" for the tags. Motorcycles registered after 1 September 2001 may only display a rear number plate, while motorcycles registered before that date can display a number plate at the front if desired."

for the 'E' Type:
"7. Fixing of registration plates: vehicles registered before the relevant date

(1) This regulation applies to vehicles, other than works trucks, road rollers and agricultural machines, first registered before the relevant date.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (4), a registration plate must be fixed in the manner required by paragraph (3) on

(a) the front of the vehicle, and
(b)the rear of:

(i) the vehicle or,
(ii) where the vehicle is towing a trailer, the trailer or,
(iii) where the vehicle is towing more than one trailer, the rearmost trailer.

(3) This paragraph requires each plate to be fixed:

(a) in a vertical position or, where that is not possible, in a position as close to the vertical as is reasonably practicable, and

(b) in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are easily distinguishable, in the case of a plate fixed on the front of the vehicle, from in front of the vehicle and, in the case of a plate fixed on the rear of the vehicle or trailer, from behind the vehicle or trailer."