Vehicle registration oddity (1961 Beetle)

It wasn't sold until 1963?

Or was re-registered after use on the Channel Islands (for example) or by the military (unlikely!).

Weren't 'A' suffix plates a forerunner of 'Q' plates. I.e. they were used when the car had lost its original number for some reason. Perhaps the original number was sold. It should be possible to get a non-transferable age related number allocated if the OP doesn't want the incorrect A plate on it.

Thanks for this. The vehcicle reg doc actually says 'Registered Jan

Yes, I am aware that I can buy an older 3x3 plate but am concerned that there may be some kind of 'cut+shut' gone on somewhere along the line...

Unlikely as the reg doc states 1961. Before around 1985ish if you imported a vehicle it'd get a current reg number more often than not, which is why you see mid '60s Yank stuff running around on '82 reg plates and the like. If your Beetle has been imported they very often know the original date of registration, but that doesn't mean UK registration.

I know a chap who had a '78 Mk2 Escort RS2000 with a 1986 C reg plate because it'd been imported from Sith Efrika in '86.

Dave Angel gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Simple. Somebody flogged the pre-suffix plate, and DVLA allocated an A- suffix. They did that a lot, before age-related plates. You should be able to get a pre-suffix age-related allocated, but the original has long since gone.

Thanks for this. I wondered if this would be the answer, but the DVLA only allow to change to an older plate (not newer), but maybe this was not the case years ago ;-)

Dave Angel gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Indeed. Back in the '70s and early '80s, used imports got then-new plates.

Years ago a mate of mine bought an Allegro from the auctions for a pittance. It was manufactured in 1978 as a LHD, been imported into the UK from Belgium in 1982, converted to RHD and given the number OOC 673X. It was as bad as it sounds!