A little story from a man and his car, who obviously would like to be seen as a diplomat…..
He used this Mercedes 200 in Vienna for some weeks in December 2012.
A French insurance sticker in the windshield to check the license number for verification by police brought to light a genuine current French registration, but a regular series – nothing diplomatic.
He had had his French plates re-made, in the Portuguese diplomatic style.
In 2008 the same car (look at the CD-Sticker, the screws and the small, black, square element) was seen on same place in Vienna with this strange plate:
In 2008 it was also seen in Paris (photo by Francoplaque I think) and we had it in our newsletter. It was then assumed to be an old Portuguese registration pimped up to resemble French-looking diplomatic plates. And the car was originally, like the driver, from Portugal as I have found out since.
2013 – And now the current display: after new police investigations (it became a little hotter) the car once again has been sighted in Vienna in April 2013 with the original French normal plates, the owner having removed his oval CD claim to fame!
It has probably now returned to Paris again. Perhaps he plays out there his diplomatic illusions…
From PlatePeter
Good detective work, PlatePeter! I wonder if the owner is aware that wherever he goes in Europe, with his false plates, he is being tracked by our groups??
He would be interesting to interview, to learn just why people like him believe there is some advantage in going to so much trouble to dodge the law.
Vic EU38
Europlate member Ivan Thornley has reported seeing a number of unidentifiable orange-on-green false plates in London recently, very like the one you show here. I will obtain some details and ask if he has any pictures. (He is not ‘on computer’).
Victor Brumby