ASBO Hounds Not Number Plate Fans

Dog Gang - Watch a funny movie here

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Next DVLA Number Plate Auction Announced

The Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire is the setting for the next three-day auction commencing on the 4th August. Go to http://dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk/auctions to view the 1500 registrations on offer.

DVLA Personalised Registrations has secured a limited number of free tickets enabling registered bidders to visit the motor museum containing the world's finest collection of historic British cars.

Number plates in the auction include 8 O (10,000) C44 RLS (900) BMW 80Y (900) and TVR 80Y (400).




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Lucky number plates go up in value when times are bad

The basis for many superstitious beliefs may be little more than fantasy but their economic effects are all too real. According to Travis Ng and colleagues at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, casual estimates suggest that between $800 and $900 million is wiped off the value of US businesses every Friday the Thirteenth! Now Ng's team has explored the economic cost of superstition by comparing the value of Hong Kong car number plates purchased through auction from 1997 to 2009.

The new research focuses particularly on the presence of 4s and 8s in Hong Kong plates. There's a consensus in Hong Kong that '8', which rhymes in Cantonese with 'prosper' or 'prosperity', is a lucky number, whereas '4', which rhymes with 'die' or 'death', is an unlucky number.

Controlling for visual factors that affect price (for example, plates with fewer digits are more sought-after) Ng's team found that an ordinary 4-digit registration plate with one extra lucky '8' was sold 63.5 per cent higher on average. An extra unlucky '4' by contrast diminished the average 4-digit plate value by 11 per cent. These effects aren't trivial. Replacing the '7' in a standard 4-digit plate with an '8' would boost its value by roughly $400.

As well charting the monetary value of superstitious beliefs, Ng's study was also able to record how the economic influence of superstition varies according to ongoing macroeconomic circumstances. For instance, the presence of a '4' in a plate always drops its value, but during bad economic times, the diminution in value is greater. On a day that the stock market had dropped by 1 per cent, the 'cost' of having a '4' in a standard 4-digit plate was increased by 19.9 per cent. 'A "4" is bad,' the researchers wrote, 'but it is even worse in bad times.'

Curiously, the effect of ongoing market conditions on the impact of 4s and 8s wasn't equal. The stock market price exaggerated the 'cost' associated with an extra '4' on both 3-digit and 4-digit number plates, but it only affected the premium associated with having an extra lucky '8' on 3-digit plates. 'We are not able to come up with a good explanation for the asymmetric effects,' the researchers said.

'We have shown that the value of superstitions can be economically significant,' the researchers concluded. 'We have also shown that some results are consistent with the view that people tend to be more superstitious in bad times.'


Ng, T., Chong, T., & Du, X. (2010). The value of superstitions. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31 (3), 293-309 DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2009.12.002

Ireland introduce bicycle number plates

UP to 1,000 bicycles are to be fitted with number plates. The new scheme, to be launched in Co Mayo, is designed to increase awareness of road safety for cyclists.

Only vehicles with combustion engines have to carry designated number plates, under current law.

But Noel Gibbons, road safety officer with Mayo County Council, said that the bicycle registration scheme would bring cyclists into line with drivers of larger, more powerful road vehicles and was hoping it would give them a higher visibility.

"The purpose of the number plates is to raise awareness of cycle safety and encourage more people to take the two-wheel mode of transport, rather than four wheels," he said.

"We also want to get the young cyclist to remember that they have a responsibility for their own safety when using a bicycle.

"The number plates are made from a reflective material and will be hung under the bicycle saddle, increasing the chances of other road users seeing the cyclist. They can be customised or personalised to show the name of the cyclist, making them a great novelty gift for every child," Mr Gibbons added.





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Vespa number plate sells for 1185 pounds

Vespa fans are used to adorning their two-wheeled wonders with accessories but only one devotee can now show off the ultimate add on.

For Neil Little placed the winning bid on the personalised plate VE55SPA during first of two DVLA Personalised Registrations auctions being held this summer.

Neil, who paid to total of 1,185 pounds for the registration, will soon be sporting it on his new, limited edition, Vespa LXV.

"I have private plates on all my vehicles but I believe this one will really stand out from the crowd. It's the ultimate registration for my scooter!" Said the 40 year old carpenter from Meopham, Kent.

"I don't usually spend the amount I did on the VE55 SPA plate but, as soon as I saw it was going under the hammer knew I just had to have it."

The second DVLA Personalised Registrations auction of the summer is set to commence on August 4, at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire.




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Number plates for the future

A car fan from Harrow splashed out on Monday morning when he bought a collection of personalised registrations encompassing the new 60-series within minutes of them being released for sale.

Rishi Gautam (pronounced Gotam) has patiently waited for the 60's release to buy a series of registrations which represent his surname; GG 60TAM, MR 60TAM, DR 60TAM and MS 60TAM.

While he already has the number plate R15SHE on his Jaguar X Type, he spent just shy of 2,800 pounds to secure the collection of 60 registration plates for his future generations.

The automotive design engineer said: "I'm a self confessed petrol head. I love everything about cars and I especially admire private number plates."



"Although I've owned R15SHE since 1997, I've always wanted to add more plates to my collection and have been looking for ways in which to spell my surname.

"After researching the possibilities I realised a couple of years ago the 60 series would be ideal and have since just sat back and played a waiting game. I contacted the DVLA and asked when they'd go on sale and have since had Monday, June 7, in my diary."

He added: "I'm extremely proud of my surname and wanted some personalised registrations to show it off and my collection will do just that even though I've bought them for my future wife and children!"

Explaining his reasoning behind the purchases, Rishi added: "I wanted plates to directly represent my surname, hence buying GG 60TAM and MR 60TAM. I have high hopes for a son or daughter of becoming a doctor and so I couldn't resist
DR 60TAM. MS 60TAM would sit well on my wife's car."

In order to secure his four number plates, Rishi went online and bought them in quick succession. The 60 figure will indicate all brand new vehicles registered for road use from September 1, 2010.





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Should motorbikes have front number plates?

There has been a call for Motorcycles to be fitted with front number plates so they can be detected by front facing police cameras, by the RAC Foundation.

The move would allow bike registrations to be read by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras used to pick up uninsured or untaxed vehicles.

A spokesman for the RAC Foundation, which was established in 1991 as the research arm of the RAC but is now independent of the breakdown firm, said: "We think that if it could be done safely then there's a very good reason why it should be done.

"Then ANPR cameras would be able to pick up motorcycles in exactly the same way they can four-wheeled vehicles."



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DVLA forces Auto Trader to change its iPhone app

Auto Trader has been forced to remove a key feature from its iPhone app, just two weeks after it was released.

The DVLA has a problem with the image recognition element of the app, which allows users to take a photo of car number plates and get results from dealers selling that make and model.

The DVLA says that this feature conflicts with its ethical code, as it allows users to capture images of vehicle registration plates, even though cameras and most mobile phones are capable of doing the same thing.

"The application draws only on publically available information and does not release owner details or information on where a vehicle is registered. However, we take consumer security extremely seriously and so have happily agreed to comply with the DVLA's request. As a result, from the 30th March, the 'snap' function will be removed from the app." Said the Auto Trader.

It's a puzzling move as the app provides no information other than the make and model of the car photographed, and since there are plenty of other mobile services which use number plate information, such as the vehicle text check services which are commonly advertised.

It robs the app and its users of a valuable function, one which worked well and that also provided an added 'wow factor' for the app, though perhaps, if the image is the problem, Auto Trader can replace this with the option to type in plate numbers to achieve the same result. On the face of it, this seems to be an odd decision on the part of the DVLA.




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60 number plates on sale now

The 60 series of registrations can now be bought from DVLA Registrations in readiness for when they can legally be used on our roads on September 1, 2010.

The new 60 series opens up a great deal of personalised number plates like BA60OON, AS60 ---, CY60RGS, etc.

Prospective buyers have been able to sift through the millions of combinations available through DVLA Personalised Registrations website for the past month.

More good news for those interested is DVLA Personalised Registrations' is that the 'open sale' period also ensures that every new style combination is available for the month of June, with the exception of those plates destined for auction.



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Number plate SOLO ACT for just 2850 pounds!

A retired car dealer has shown how he has gone it alone in the world of business by placing the winning bid on the DVLA Personalised Registration, SO10 ACT.

Kane Ronald bought the private plates to show people how he fought back the critics to become one of Hampshire's most prolific car salesman.

"I've gone it alone all my life and so I thought this registration was a great way of telling people my story." Said the 67 year old from Lyndhurst.

Kane's story is a real rags to riches tale, he started his working life as a humble car salesman but worked tirelessly to eventually own his successful business.

He added. "People always told me to settle down and stop dreaming about the big time. But I refused to listen and worked hard for the finer things in life. You should never give up on your dreams no matter how many people tell you otherwise."

Ronald walked away from the Whittlebury Hall auction with a smile after buying the personalised registration for just 2,850 pounds.



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ESS3X number plate sells for 6,520 pounds at DVLA auction

A mystery buyer from Chelmsford snapped up the personalised registration ESS 3X for a bargain price of 6,520 pounds.

Immediately after securing the number plates with a final bid of 5,100 pounds, the delighted Essex based man declared he would have spent another 15,000 pounds in order to get his ideal plate. The total amount paid includes VAT, Buyers Premium and Assignment Fee.

The sale came during the climax of DVLA Personalised Registrations' first day of its latest auction currently being held at Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire. At the end of the day the agency had raised 1.2 million, with all money going to the Treasury.

"Both DVLA and the customer are both extremely happy with the result. Managing to raise a sum seven times its reserve is a tremendous achievement, and to hear our customer is delighted to have bought a bargain is music to my ears." said Damian Lawson, DVLA Personalised Registrations' Marketing Manager.

The mystery purchaser of the ESS 3X plate, said: "I'm absolutely delighted. I've bought numerous registrations from the DVLA over the years and I expected to pay a lot more than 6,520 pounds for this one, in fact I had another 15,000 pounds to spend!"

While the ESS 3X registrations will probably make the headlines, 1 EPS was the greatest success of the day, fetching just short of 20,000 pounds.


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Three of the coolest number plates in history go under the hammer! (And you get 007's DB5 thrown in!)

RM Auction is putting a great car up for auction, this time a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, which is an actual James Bond car! This car with the registration plate FMP 7B has been a property of Mr.Jerry Lee for over 40 years. He had bought the car from the film company for $12,000, and now it's expected to fetch over $5 million!

This DB5 is a full blooded Bond car. It has Front and rear hydraulic over rider rams on bumpers; Front firing .30 caliber Browning machine guns powered by trunk mounted oxy/propane system; Wheel mounted tire slasher; Retractable rear bullet-proof screen; Radio telephone concealed in secret compartment; Radar scanner in racing type wing mirror with tracking screen in the cockpit; Passenger ejector seat with removable roof panel (seat since replaced with standard seat); Oil slick ejector from left side rear light cluster; Triple spiked nails from the right side rear light cluster; Smoke screen released through separate rear system, located next to rear exhaust and most importantly; Three revolving number plates featuring licenses YRE 186H, 007JB and JB007.

Not that all of these things actually work on this car, but there they are! And the coolest thing is they're all hidden away normally.

"The James Bond car has brought me much enjoyment for some 40 years," said Jerry Lee. "Even as I sell it and use the proceeds to fund the Jerry Lee Foundation, the car will continue to give me great pleasure as it furthers the mission of the Foundation to do good around the world."





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