Am I right in thinking I can get German style number plates with my english reg' number on it?

If so would anyone let me know where I can get a pair made up?

Many thanks.

It's true but they're NOT legal.

Have a read of this and then decide.

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16744&PN=4 - http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16744& amp; amp;PN=4

Do they have all this lot on them Steve?

The British Standard also requires that a number plate must be marked with the following information: - The British Standard Number (currently BS AU 145d) The name, trade mark, or other means of identification of the manufacturer or component supplier. (The company who actually make the number plates.) The name and postcode of the supplying outlet. (The 'supplying outlet' is taken to mean a company whose business consists wholly or partly of selling number plates.)

If so i'll get some myself.

They can't make you any legal ones as the font used is wrong.

For the MOT the digit has to be the same thickness throughout the whole of the digit, the FE font has gaps, therefore, not quite legal.

The only font that you should be able to buy and use legally on the road now is the Charles Wright one.

There are plenty of "show" plates out there, most look shite and most generally not legal for road use.

The MOT is one obstical, as far as i remember there is nothing in the MOT manual saying which font has to be used, but it does say they have to be the same thickness all the way around, and properly spaced.

Construction and uses, road traffic act and all that malarkey all have their own bits of rules, which makes it a bit of a nightmare to work out what you can and can't get away with.

I run them, have done for years, been pulled with them on, never had a problem, passed MOT's (even though they shouldn't) and they have been no bother, but I think a lot of it is down to how you look and how you act wether the police was to find fault with your vehicle.

Just as an aside, and a little interesting fact, i think I waffled on about this elsewhere...

the german numberplate font (FE Mittelshcrift) came about because of a spate of car thefts from the German borders.

Cars were being stolen, their number plates doctored with black marker pens and driven over the border never to be seen again!

The font was designed so that, if you tried to say, change a F into a E the character just wouldn't look quite right, hence all the gaps and the odd thickness of some of the characters.

I love it, I love the story behind it, think it's great, a design classic.

Excuse the black rectangle, Corel has just decided to start doing that on Jpeg exports...

Useful link anyway..

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm - http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm

But, more specifically...

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_630.htm - http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_630.htm

Also, loads here

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/number_plates_registration_marks.aspx - http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/number_plates_registration_m arks.aspx

just done all this because this comes up quite often, gunna stick it in useful threads when done.

For anyone who has anything other the the standard uk plastic plates PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember if you happen to get mr grumpy traffic police man stop you he can take you vehicle off you until you get legal plates fitted,this will cost a min of £70 storage per day!

I had my uk plates in the back thinking i could just pop them on if ever i got stopped, he did let me swap them over but i've also been reported to the CPS and can expect a court summons and to be fined upto £1000.

They may look cool and part of the german T3 look but remember you'll never beat the law and they have a real beef about no' plates at the mo!