Vehicle trace?

[Hedd_Jones]

There were three parallell indicies prior to 1921!. One for cars. One for motorbikes. One for 'heavy motor cars'. There was also a seperate licencing system for 'Locomotives' in use on  the road. A term still used in vehicle taxation legislation to this day.

Lindsay was certainly also BE from 1904. My 1915 steam tractor was registered BE 2864 in the Lindsay Heavy Motor index when new.

[Mike Costigan]

... I didn't realise their were parallel series for m/bikes and cars. Does that mean they used the same digits?

In some cases, yes! In the early days of registration numbers I don't think all the issuing authorities followed the same hymn sheet, but certainly Norwich (or was it Norfolk?) issued the same numbers to cars and motorcycles - my grandfather claimed he had AH 1 on both car and motorcycle at the same time!

[Hedd_Jones]

The heavy motor index had a 0 (zero) prefix in Norfolk Mike. So AH01 for the first heavy motor

[Austin Carr]

So presumably that means that 9000 odd re-registered age-related BF have been made. Anyone have a low digit one?

There are a number of BF plates for sale at Regplates from £1,100 for BF 6084 to £31,870 for BF 4

https://www.regplates.com/number-plates/number-plate-BF

[Hedd_Jones]

I found reference to BF2. On a Gardner Serpollet Steam car new in Jan 1904 to the Honerable Humphrey N Sturt of 38 Portman Square, London.

Also BF5 another Gardner Serpollet, also Jan 1904 to the Rt Honerable Edward H Trafalgar (Lord Digby) of Minterne House.

Neither seems to have survived long enough to be re registered FX.

I found a Clarkson steam bus BF141/FX141, the highest renumber I found.

[crt86t]

Hi all,

This is getting a little "off track" from my original request to trace my A7.  For your information in general, here is the latest reply from the Heritage Motor Museum today is below and they have refunded my payment for information - I am still no nearer for finding out where my car came from!

It is unfortunate that only four ledgers out of the entire Austin Seven production survived. The story I heard was these four ledgers were at Cowley for some reason, there was then a fire at Longbridge which destroyed the rest of the records. The only advice I can offer is to contact the Austin Seven Clubs Association, their web address is http://a7ca.org

Best Regards
Richard Bacchus
Certificate Officer
Archive Department

[Nigel Ricardo]

It was Lord Digby who managed to get Dorset changed from BF Hedd, they changed it to FX,JT and PR. I always thought that BF was then allocated to Rutland.

Edit to add : I have a friend with FX 23 and another with FX 10

[crt86t]

    I'd send a picture if I knew how to to it!  The icons above seem to want a URL (that I don't have)!  PM me an email address and I'll attach some recent pictures.  I'll try adding an attachment here but I'm not good at this sort of thing!

[Mike Costigan]

That looks to be a fine machine, Chris. Apart from the chrome headlamp rims and windscreen frame that looks to be a standard Austin-built VE van, in which case it will have rectangular windows in the rear doors, and the spare wheel mounted vertically inside on the near-side. You will find a photo of a similar van at the top of the second page of Commercials in the Gallery section.

Have you been in touch with Chris Blower and registered it with the Van Register?

[Tony Griffiths]

And now for some light relief from the agonies of Van recognition:

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A super-looking van!