Identity crisis

[Stocky]

Back in April I applied to the DVLA for the history of my 1977 Stag. I finally got the paperwork yesterday.
It has taken some time to make sense of it all, especially as they seem to have included some stuff relating to other cars.
It seems that my car has had 8 (eight) different registration marks! This includes three different registrations within the first year. Can anyone beat that?

I wondered why the V5C had the engine number as LFHEA. I can now see that the selling dealer (Dutton Forshaw, Maidstone) listed this as the number at first registration. Odd. Even stranger that the Heritage certificate gives a different number to the engine that is now in the car (which is not an ESS number).

[ChrisLD364]

Oooh that's interesting. How do you get info on your car from the DVLA? A simple form and a fee? I'd do that to check it out.

Chris

[jleyton]

Hi Ross,

What you've got from DVLA sounds pretty much like the same as I got - except mine had only had three registration numbers - but, in fairness to DVLA, mine came through fairly quickly. I've managed to contact the last four owners successfully.

It wouldn't be surprising if your engine had been changed and not all exchanges were for ESS units.

Chris - yep, it's about £5 IIRC and the info is somewhere on the DVLA site.

Cheers

julian

[StagnJag]

I think it's from V888?

Regards

Dave

[Ian Durrant]

There is every possibility the DVLA records are just plain wrong. All that information has been exported from one computer system to another over the years. Possibly also from paper records in some places. As I understand it not a good job was done and the accuracy of the database leaves a lot to be desired.

[stagx790]

maybe if you listed all the old registration numbers as they were on the Stag someone may recognise it. In the old days of changing reg numbers when you took the personal number off it received a new issue number usually from same year of 1st reg and from local issue stock. It wasn't until they got there act together and reissued the original number back to the vehicle. Some times year of 1st reg was when car was reimported to uk or put onto DVLA computer from old records if car was not in use and taxed when the rolling road of transfering was done. Dave

[GDPR]

I know that mine has had 2 reg numbers, GUY41 at first registration and its current Isle of Wight plate - I am the 4th registered owner – not much left to discover really...... won't waste a fiver, instead use to buy beer tonight...

[Stagsongas]

maybe if you listed all the old registration numbers as they were on the Stag someone may recognise it. In the old days of changing reg numbers when you took the personal number off it received a new issue number usually from same year of 1st reg and from local issue stock. It wasn't until they got there act together and reissued the original number back to the vehicle. Some times year of 1st reg was when car was reimported to uk or put onto DVLA computer from old records if car was not in use and taxed when the rolling road of transfering was done. Dave

Dave,

That's certainly part of it, but there is more;

Up until 'X' reg, imported cars where given a new UK reg. with the suffix of the year of import, i.e. a K reg era Mini imported from the Channel islands got an X reg. There was hardly any difference in the model and some (mistakenly I'm sure) got sold as if they were as young as the replacement UK reg made them appear.

X instead of K.

Also, just now and then, an originally UK registered insurance total loss vehicle could be repaired, then have a cherished numberplate hung on it for a short time. When that cherished number was removed, it would receive another, (different to the original) age related plate.

Thus, G123 ABC could be damaged and repaired, have a cherishied number put on it for 6 months and then 'become' G321 BAC or any other example you like. This had the effect of wiping off any damage history recorded against the vehicle on the scant insurance databases that existed at the time.

One reason for handing back the orignal reg. number to any car that had (or has) a cherished number removed from it today is that it maintains a paper trail to any damage history recorded throughout the car's life, no matter how many cherished numbers it has had, or may yet have.

In the case of cars being imported, but with their actual age being masked by a new UK reg. plate, the decision was made to only give out age-related reg. plates so that no-one could think they where actually newer or younger than they really were. As far as I can remember, this change coincided with another measure - if you could not prove an imported vehicle's actual age, it was awarded the familar 'Q' reg that adorned many kit cars around that time. Both of these import changes made it impossible for an imported car to appear younger, and perhaps more valuable than it actually was.

Regards

Steve

[flying farmer]

As to no actual engine number being shown, this is the case for my Stag and IIRC from an earlier thread for many others too.

The cynic in me thinks it is because the dealers were pretty sure it would be changed by the end of the warranty period anyway!

Neil

[KOY 23]

I know that mine has had 2 reg numbers, GUY41 at first registration and its current Isle of Wight plate - I am the 4th registered owner – not much left to discover really...... won't waste a fiver, instead use to buy beer tonight...

Russ.

Thanks is for the beer, great to meet you all.

[Seaking]

I wasted a fiver here is the reply that i received .

Dear Mr Roke


Further to your enquiry the build record for chassis number LD/***-BW is missing from our archive collection but the despatch date for this vehicle is 12th August 1973.


Regards


Jan Valentino
Archive Research

when i purchased my stag the previous owner has a heritage certificate that he wished to keep.
So what would i get for the full version.

[Stocky]

There is every possibility the DVLA records are just plain wrong. All that information has been exported from one computer system to another over the years. Possibly also from paper records in some places. As I understand it not a good job was done and the accuracy of the database leaves a lot to be desired.

Thanks, I can see this might well be true. Who knows?

maybe if you listed all the old registration numbers as they were on the Stag someone may recognise it.

OK, here they are:

SKN 955R
AK106
TKR 532R
EVE 251
OYU 534R
567 KP
NPO 660R
MKR 1P

Some are clearly "cherished numbers", moved on and off the car as it was bought and sold. The current reg is a "personal plate" from the PO before the PO (IE: 2 owners prior to me), who doesn't want it back.
NPO 660R and OYU 534R were on the car the longest.
If anyone recognises a plate, please PM me.

I wasted a fiver here is the reply that i received .

Dear Mr Roke


Further to your enquiry the build record for chassis number LD/***-BW is missing from our archive collection but the despatch date for this vehicle is 12th August 1973.


Regards


Jan Valentino
Archive Research

when i purchased my stag the previous owner has a heritage certificate that he wished to keep.
So what would i get for the full version.

The full Heritage certificate includes: Chassis, engine and body numbers; specification, colour, trim colour; dates of build and dispatch; destination dealer; key numbers; factory fitted equipment. If the build record is missing, you will presumably get nothing so a waste of £40.