Very nice...What does it mean?

 

M9G is a nickname i got years and years ago - mattyninegrand and UK is self explanatory i think

I think de-chroming the car was the right thing to do aswell

 

Bit naughty with the spacing there M9........Any pulls for it to date?

They can actually take your plate away for misrepresentation I believe now too.

Nice X, very similar to Peter's in Black too...

 

Nice, we call those "Vanity Tags" here in the US...

Was wondering though..I was under the understanding that in the UK you couldn't have a leaper on the bonnet as it could impale a ped-exing...

Did that Law change?

 

Yes I thought I saw a leaper on the bonnet too.....

No, you are quite right, there is a law that you cannot have mascots like that on todays cars in the UK, so its there illegally.

Personally, although I love the leaper on the older Jags from days gone by, I'm not a fan of it on todays newer Jags as it just looks out of place IMHO.

Having said that, That's only my opinion and we're all different.

 

I thought the law was in the UK and EU was that the mascot had to snap of on impact.

Anyway the car looks great

 

Too obscure for me Jim. That must be a UK thing. I thought M9 was a freeway. No naughty over tones here that I know of. R/E the Leaper,I used a black chrome one to keep it subtle with the black paint...just a thought.

 

I was wondering how long it would be before someone mentioned the spacing :-) Good that you mentioned it Jim as I may not have know the laws on spacing - I have had this plate on numerous cars over the past ten years and had police behind me and have only ever got stopped once for random check, plate got mentioned but was told although i shouldnt have it like that it was still nice clear lettering and what police didnt like was the ones that had the italic fonts and the ones with screws placed so that another letter is made.

The plates are velcro'd on and i keep another set of plates with proper spacing in the boot so if i ever get stopped, "sorry i've just been to a meet and forgot to swap them back, i'll do it now officer" :-)

I'm sure there will come a time that I will have to put them back to the way they should be :-(

With reference to the leaper - I dont want it!!! it was on there when i got the car and when i can afford and find a replacement bonnet without a leaper i will be changing it

 

Both mascots and registration plates on UK vehicles comes up for discussion from time to time. I thought it might be useful to summarise the applicable legislation and regulations.

MASCOTS
In the UK there are two relevant sections in the statute law covering mascots:

1. Regulation 53 Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
states: "No mascot, emblem or other ornamental object shall be carried by a motor vehicle first used on or after 1 October 1937 in any position where it is likely to strike any person with whom the vehicle may collide unless the mascot is not liable to cause injury to such person by reason of any projection thereon."

2. Section 40A Road Traffic Act 1988 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991
states: "a person is guilty of an offence if he uses, or causes or permits another to use, a motor vehicle.... on a road when.... the condition of the vehicle..., or of its accessories or equipment.... is such that the use of the motor vehicle.... involves a danger of injury to any person."

Not surprisingly the EU also has to have a go and mascots are also covered by:

EC regulation 74/483
European directive on vehicle exterior projections which forbids sharp points or protrusions that might cause injury in an accident.

There is as yet no case law to establish penalties for contravention in the UK.


REGISTRATION PLATES
Registration Plates are covered in exhausting detail by DVLA. Plates must be to British Standard BS AU 145d. The British Standard also requires each number plate to be permanently and legibly marked with the following information:

1. the British Standard number (currently BS AU 145d);
2. the name, trade mark or other means of identification of the manufacturer or supplier;
3. the name and postcode of the supplying outlet

Letters must be in the standard font and:

1. Character height 79mm
2. Character width (except the figure 1 or letter I) 50mm
3. Character stroke 14mm
4. Space between characters 11mm
5. Space between groups 33mm
6. Top, bottom and side margins (minimum) 11mm
7. Vertical space between groups 19mm

The current penalty for misrepresenting a registration number is a fine of up to £1000 and cancellation of the number by DVLA.

Number plate spacing and bonnet mascots - two excuses for a Traffic Policeman to stop your vehicle or a zealous MoT Tester to fail the vehicle!

Graham

 

My son recently bought a car with exactly that spacing on the number plate and we did not pay much attention to the plate.
(The previous owner is retaining it but the paperwork is still not completed.)
He had owned the car for two hours and he was stopped by the police, who I guess were not very busy on a Sunday evening.
They checked everything and fortunately the new insurance was on the database.
We were allowed to go on our way with the normal warnings and no paperwork/fines.

Re risk to others from a leaper etc.
UK rules do not allow any sharp edges to be exposed from say a minor bit of bodywork damage.
We had a very old Fiat UNO that my children used when learning.
The bottom two to three inches of the outer skin of the drivers door had been eaten away by tin worm ( and it did flap a little in the wind if the UNO managed to get above 30 mph).
The testing station said "Just use lots of duck tape to secure it and that will satisfy the rules.

 

Mine isn't that official. But in Florida we don't need a front tag. Born and raised in West London.

 

What size and positioning of Velcro have you found that's strong enough to hold plates on?

Graham

 

down each end of the plate and a strip in the middle

 

Hey M9......Sorry didn't mean to come across as all "Officer" like....lol

I just pointed it out so you knew, although I'm sure you're probably clued up anyway!

As you say, the font / size / style etc are all correct and as its on a nice clean Jag, chances are you're unlikely to be pulled, I would say.

To be fair, my own plates are illegal ( not in the font or spacing ) but they are regarded as showplates, having the Saltire at both ends, and my name on the plate with no kitemark either.

They've been on the car for 6 years with no police attention and have also passed 4 mot's!

I think the leaper removal will add to the appeal rather than detract for sure.

Didn't mean to take anything away from what is a lovely looking car....

Cheers

 

Na thats fine, its good that you did point it out as i might not have known but yeah i do. Every car I have put this plate on and posted a pic in that cars forum I get lots of people shouting about it. Its quite funny :-)

Leaper will be going, it's nice but not on my Jag