Slightly off for our Brit Friends...

Hell, Hachi, just ask your local license plate collector, i.e. Me.

A reg = 1984 model year, Aug 1, 1983-31 July 1984 B = 1985 C = 1986 D = 1987 model year.

These letters were used once before as suffix letters.

In 2001 they finished the series and started a new series.

A sample D reg

D 123 ABC

D = 1987 model year

The plate is permanent on the vehicle. Some areas such as London had many sets of letter codes. The numbering sequence would run from 20 A to 999 A, then start at 20 B, and so on to 999 Z, then they would start with the next county code for that county if they made it all the way.

The original system started in 1904 and London got A 1 as their first plate. The system was extended to 3 letters/3 numbers in 1932 and reverse codes were used in some places after 1953.

Year letter suffixes were first used in 1963 in London and became mandatory countrywide in 1965 (C reg). Then in 1983, they reached Y for a year letter prefix and then flipped the whole thing around, starting with A again.

My 93 Toyota would be a K registration.

My 95 Previa would be a M registration.

Charles of Schaumburg

Yep. ;-) (Except I;'m not british. Well, one fourth, but that doens't count in this instance!)

Yep! ;-) And Daisy, & Violet. Except I don't think we've ever actually

Who, Richard (poor, poor suffering Richard - I don't know how he remians calm & sane) or Onslow?

I never even noticed it...

Cathy

Interesting. Thanks!

Oh, yeah, Violet's been around a few times. It's Sheridan who's never seen, except for one scene at the beginning of one show, you see the back of a head in a taxi.

No, a neighbor who got invited to some garden party by the Lord Chamberlain.

The show ended in Britain in 1996 and started almost immediately here.

I've been watching it ever since. I've seen every one except for the two hour-long ones, I know that one is where Richard and Hyacinth book a passage on the QEII, and Onslow and Daisy WIN a trip on the same voyage. But I have never seen it.

They haven't shown it for more than two weeks since they are fund-raising, and they made up for it last night: It was the one that ends with the vicar being chased down the street by Rose, who is wearing nothing but a black negeligee!!! Wooo Hooo!

Huh - I must've missed the ones w/Violet - have only heard Hyacinth's end of the phone conversatuions she's had w/her. And don't think I've seen even just the back of Sheridan's head. ;-)

Oh, this one I've seen - was good. ;-) Daisy & Onslow get invited to sit at the Captain's Table for dinner, & are in general are really living it up, which irks Hyacinth no end. ;-) BUt by the end of the episode Hyacinth's out on the dance flow w/Onslow, having a great time.

But my all time favorite old Britcom was Good Neighbors (aka The Good Life).

Cathy

I had a Rolls Royce with the number TNR885. It is a 1971 Silver Shadow. What do those numbers mean? Ron PS> I was the only kid on my block who had one.

ISTR there were some wrinkles to the lettering sequence. Thus, I don't think year-letters 'I', 'O' or 'Z' were used, due to their similarity to '1', '0' and '2' (respectively). 'Q' was reserved for specials, such as vehicles registered by members of foreign forces visiting the UK, or kit cars.

The system in use today looks weird but is supposed to cope with buyers of new cars who wait for the "new letter" in autumn. The year code changes twice yearly and is mildly obfuscated. I can't say anyone is being fooled, though.

Newer UK plates are of form:

I am not unclear on what the letter groups tell you, beyond that forms of regional letter groups have persisted. Digits show the half-year. If the first is 0, it means first half-year, while 5 means second half-year. The second digit is the last digit of the calendar year. So "05" means "first half of 2005". When we reach 2010, I am guessing They will replace 0/5 by 1/6 (&c).

Hyacinth Bucket would have difficulty making flip classist cracks with the new system, methinks. ;-)

LOL!...

It's "Bu-Kay!"