Where’s my car from?

[Anonymous]

I know that in FP a few years ago there was an article about French license plates and that there is a code on them to tell you where in France the car was registered. Can’t find that particular issue, so here is the license number from my 1949 BL: 3492 QP68. The car had a rectangular plate mounted in front over top of the curved plate, so doesn’t that mean that the number is not original? I restored the curved plate and had the numbers repainted on it and that’s what’s on the car now and the rectangular plate now lives on a shelf. Any help would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

here you go larry:
http://www.map-france.com/departments/

3492 QP 68 is “Haut-Rhin” – Colmar – on the North East border with the Rhine opposite Germany

See: http://www.map-france.com/department-Haut-Rhin/

[attachment=0:1ol3l0zd]Department.jpg[/attachment:1ol3l0zd]

[Anonymous]

All re registered cars now will lose the department number as the new registration plates stay with the car for life (like the UK). Most do have a little department flag to the side normally with the number as the Franchies are quite loyal to their regions.

My traction had the original plate with 31 (Haute Garonne) on it but when I took the plate off it had a painted on number with 64 (Pyrenees Atlantiques) which does match the history – bought new by the auntie of my neighbour who then upgraded to a 15/6 and passed it on to her brother who gave it to his son to learn to drive in 1967, he then parked it up in 1969 in his cousins barn and the next driver was me 🙂

numberplate-history

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot but doesn’t QP mean anything? ❓

[Anonymous]

No, I don’t think that “QP” has any significance, the departments probably had a free hand to use the numbers and letters preceding the department in any way they wished as the registrations were issued for the life of the driver rather than the vehicle.

[Anonymous]

The letters are just given one after the other – I registered 2 cars at the same time when I arrived in France and they had the same letters (looked good)

Ian

[Anonymous]

So, they’re random?

[Anonymous]

Not random, just issued in sequence so that they don’t repeat within the department.
Depending on the number of drivers the supply of sequential numbers would eb used up in a set range and would have to move to the next.

I guess it needs a french civil servant to explain it……

[Anonymous]

Just took off UK plates and underneath are the French ones. Seems the car was last in La Rochelle area.

[Author]

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