Poss OT. Old style V5 (not V5C) registration document?

The type of logbook shouldn't make any difference - if it hasn't got an MOT or tax would have a greater bearing on the price. It has to be taxed (therefore MOT'd) to transfer the registration.

You can't transfer the plate until the car is taxed and MOTed.

Which, given that it has been mothballed for 15 years, is likely to pose a significant problem.

Transfer of reg. number is different to sale of the car (with number) there is no need for any legalities re tax and mot. I have often sold bikes and cars without a log book, there has never been any difficulty in the new owner obtaining one.

So have I - but the question was specifically about the transfer of the registration.

that was not how I read it, I thought the op was worried that if he buys the car he might not get the number that goes with it. but you could be right, it is a bit ambiguous.

I though the OP was pretty clear:

"Are DVLA likely to issue this and, if so, are they likely to restrict the transferral of the registration number?

Obviously the loss of the number or restrictions on transfer would affect the purchase price considerably."

"I'm negotiating to buy a 1977 car with cherished number plate" is fairly clear that he is expecting to get both (to me) Only the OP actually knows.

I have never heard of a number plate being withdrawn by DVLA on the sale of the vehicle.

Plenty have been made non-transferable - happened to a BSA I had in the early 90s because it didn't have a logbook and no evidence it had been on the road for 20 or so years [1].

However, in this case he does have a log book - I have a bike that is still on an old blue V5 (not v5c).

Either way, to transfer the plate the OP needs to get an MOT on the car and after 15 years that may prove "interesting".

I have had that too, but all they were interested in was seeing the physical vehicle and checking the chassis number matched.