1954 split screen

[Edlies17]

Hello
I have just brought this car 624vxu and there isn’t really any history with it , I have spoken with Stephen from the series 2 register and also asked on the Facebook page to see if anyone knows the car from any where , I have also spoken to the British motor
Museum I am waiting to see if the DVLA can help I do know that the prefix of XU is from the Manchester area and it has been suggested that is has had a number plate change from POD 581 which is a Devon number although at this point I haven’t been able to confirm this information so I am wondering if anyone here knows of the car. There is an image attached too

Best wishes Eddie

[ManyMinors]

Congratulation on acquiring a Morris Minor. We will all hope that you get lots of fun from it.
As you suggest, the VXU registration is a recent issue given by the DVLA as a re-registration after an import or registration number sale or similar so it will be difficult to trace much history from that Was the previous owner not able to tell you much? If you're a club member the club office might have some information from a previous owner IF they were a member. Unfortunately the DVLA will not be much help.

[geoberni]

Hi Eddie,
You have typo'd the registration, but you're right VU is Manchester.

IMHO, it would be most unusual for it to have been given 624XVU as an age related registration.

Two reasons, firstly POD581 is not an active registration with DVLA, and I'd have thought that if it had been 'Cherished Number Transferred' it would show up with DVLA on another car, or perhaps as available to buy.
That's not to say the registration wasn't 'Lost' because the car was off the road when the DVLA centralised the records and when someone tried to resurrect it they played hardball and refused to reissue the original number due to lack of evidence that would convince them
But secondly, when DVLA issue an Age Related number, they invariably come from a remote small county, where the old registrations hadn't all been used back in the 1930s.
The old system allocated the same total of numbers to a registration office, whether in remote counties or a major city. Thus lots of old Scottish numbers are still available for initial use, from places like Clackmannanshire (*SL) Kirkcudbrightshire (*SW) etc.
Most unlikely there's been available Manchester registrations, but you never know, it might have been the case...
I'd have thought the Motor Museum Certificate was the best bet for showing where it first went to, thus where it would have been registered.

As you suggest, the VXU registration is a recent issue given by the DVLA as a re-registration after an import or registration number sale or similar so it will be difficult to trace much history from that .

It seems most unusual for DVLA to find an old number left un-issued from a major city rather than a tiny county in the middle of nowhere??
Do you have access to additional info about Age Related numbers?

[Edlies17]

Hi yes sorry it should be 624 xvu ,thank you for you you reply I do know of a 1952 vw beetle that was given933xvf as a age appropriate registration number , regarding my Morris I have brought it from a classic car sales in Hampshire and they don’t have much information with it the chassis number is FBJ11252952 I am waiting delivery end of next week, I contacted the Devin heritage office and they gave confirmed the if it was originally POD 581 it’s from the Devon area but I have been unable to confirm that this is the original number , the British motor museum also said they couldn’t confirm a change of number I have ordered a heritage certificate which will have some information on it but hoped someone may recognise the car and shed some light

[geoberni]

Hi yes sorry it should be 624 xvu ,thank you for you you reply I do know of a 1952 vw beetle that was given933xvf as a age appropriate registration number ,

Well, *VF would be Norfolk, so not a large city area with a higher density of population (I had to be very careful phrasing that, as the first time I read it back it didn't sound very complimentary to Norfolkians ). I imagine vehicle ownership would be quite low per head of population.

It just depends if you can find someone in a helpful mood at DVLA....

[MM1949]

Just to confirm POD 581 is for sale. So if it was the car's original registration you could buy it and transfer it back.

https://www.swiftreg.co.uk/private-number-plate/POD581

Also if a registration number is not allocated to a vehicle but still active and assigned to a DVLA retention certificate it will not show on the DVLA vehicle enquiry service.

[geoberni]

Just to confirm POD 581 is for sale.

https://www.swiftreg.co.uk/private-number-plate/POD581

Also if a registration number is not allocated to a vehicle but still active on a DVLA retention certificate it will not show on the DVLA vehicle enquiry service.

I didn't find it when I searched, I guess some numbers only appear on limited websites, or perhaps I just missed it...
I also forgot that active plates on retention were 'in limbo'. Rookie mistake .
So looks like Manchester wasn't as busy with registrations as I thought. I suppose it was a far smaller place back in the 30s, much of what we think of now as 'Manchester' would have been parts of the surroundings counties.

So much of what I said earlier was wrong. Ce La Vie, every days a school day...

[Bill_qaz]

Good luck with your car and researching it history. Welcome to the forum you will find lots of help and knowledge.

[unclealec]

If it helps:
POD was issued March 1954

XVU was issued May 1959

One possibility that occurs to me is that in May 1959, POD was transferred onto another vehicle as a cherished transfer; if this was done by the LVLO in Manchester it would account for the 1959-issued Manchester-based reg. no.

[geoberni]

If it helps:
POD was issued March 1954

XVU was issued May 1959

One possibility that occurs to me is that in May 1959, POD was transferred onto another vehicle as a cherished transfer; if this was done by the LVLO in Manchester it would account for the 1959-issued Manchester-based reg. no.

That's a possibility.
I've no idea when the authorities began to allow numbers to be transferred. You did see 'personalised' plates in the 60s, usually on 'Celeb' motors, belonging anyone with a load of Dosh....

[XWL61]

XVU followed by digits was issued from May 1959, however digits preceding XVU is a recent DVLA issue. Go to the DVLA vehicle check website and type in a few similar registrations - you'll see what I mean! Many current DVLA re-issue numbers seem to use 'X' as one of the letters - presumably as these combinations have a low 'value' / desirability' compared to registrations with 'A', 'T', 'R' etc , which DVLA can sell.

Andy

[Edlies17]

All this information is great and I will be looking into it over the next few days thank you all for your help I hope to find out a bit more once my heritage certificate comes through