revised 201808242048
The wondrous contents of the Stoel albums reveal plate types previously both unknown and not illustrated – and for those of you who haven’t yet opened up your member’s exclusive link to the (click)
TEHA2 website.
the Blog brings you a few of the extraordinary images which Karel Stoel amassed over 50 years. This August 2018 Blog page refers to some unusual Trade Plates and related specials…..
Previously unknown, a dealer plate on British Zanzibar in circa 1949 has a large number ‘1’ probably in red on a white ground, as it awaits its normal plates. RPWO archive
The Zanzibar Dealer 1 close-up.
And while we’re in Zanzibar…….
(EAZ) — ZG 316 – Zanzibar Govt. – Who knew that the Zanzibar Government had its own issue? ZG 316 is inspected by the army in the 1960s. It’s on a Morris J4 minibus, surely an unsatisfactory model for the tough conditions of that unpaved island….
ADEN DEALER
(ADN)–GEN 24 — About 1951, a new Minx awaits permanent registration as it is collected from the docks in transit to the Hillman dealer. We can guess that the plates are white on red, in the GB style. and that the ‘GEN’ abbreviates General (use), one of two dealer plate types used in Britain, the other being the Limited (use) type, which was red on white.
(ADN)–GEN 3 — A second example of that hitherto-unknown Aden plate type is seen on a Morris Oxford MO, sporting GEN 3. Note the wide panel to accommodate the numberplate, pressed in to the boot panel, a feature formerly unknown to The Blog. (export spec, mayhap?)
And another rarity from Aden … a taxi
(ADN) — L 5943 Reverse colours of black on white differentiated the taxi plates of Aden Colony from civilian white on black; this is the only known photo. L 5943 dates from 1960-63 amd is on an Opel. TEHA2
and, below, an Aden QUIZ picture…help!
(ADN) — CC 23 ADN – Has anyone any information on this Consular Corps series from the ’60’-70s? Never reported, nor otherwise illustrated. Yet this is CC issue 23, so there must have been consulates for more than one country in what was then a British colony and protectorate………
SINGAPORE DEALER
(SGP) 108 S — Singapore trade plates used the scarcely-legible silver-on light yellow colouring until the 1980s, when the background changed to blue.
In 1968, a new Mazda awaits collection from the wharf, as one of the early Japanese cars to come to the island, where all Nipponese brands met with great success in the forthcoming years.
And also from Singapore, but long before…..1904:
(SS) — S 1 Straits Settlements. Now we have unearthed the picture of Singapore’s first registration, from a history published by ‘Singapore Tatler‘ and given as 1904. Lady Annie Dare’s 2-cylinder Star car, which she named ‘Ichiban’, but which was called ‘The Devil Wind Carriage’ by the astonished native people, was driven all over the Malay Peninsular and Java, before being returned to England and Scotland in later years.
That’s all for now – more to be added later.
Any comments are appreciated. They indicate that someone reads these missives! VB
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psssst – Here’s another new discovery – Bahrein Dealer c 1950. Austin A40 Sports (an export model). 1851 in arabic.
ZG 316 is a Morris J2, These were used by the Military Forces of a number of countries. They used the same engine and gearbox as the J4 but were noticeably larger and heavier.
Absolutely right David – of course it is a J2 – thanks.
Re Aden GEN 3: could the MO have been fitted with a boot lid from an MM, due accident damage maybe? They look identical in size: trouble is, getting one of each next to each other to check.
Geoff – I’m sure the Oxford boot-lid width would have been quite a bit greater than the Minor – up to 6 inches – but it sure looks odd, as my original comment of the photo noted. Now I wonder if the Dealer stuck his trade-plate to a foam- or cardboard-backed block, to save scratching the carrier vehicle. Rubber plate-housings are used in many jurisdictions for their on/off trade-plates, precisely to safeguard the new cars in particular. I never saw an MO boot-lid like that before. VB
March 2019 – new knowledge on this brief run of Oxford boot pressings now entered to the Blog at