Registration of Racing Machinary in days gone by

[jellywrestler]

I just received a large haul of archives as well as some misc motorcycle parts. There were a few number plates and i noticed two consecutive, but didn't think further.
Next day I found a large photo of an indonesian riders race bike with one of the plates bolted to the side of the fairing. What a memento.
So it's a 1973-4 plate with O rego, i've seen them a couple of years later with E rego.

who knows what these to classes were actually designated as please?

[Oldfart]

I don't know about O, but E was "exempt", commonly used on farm machinery, racing vehicles and such. From memory you still paid the compulsory third party insurance but no road tax. That's a 50 year old memory, so subject to correction.

[jellywrestler]

i have just received a brand new entry form for three 1965 and 1966 levin motor racing circuit entry forms that state no one will be allowed to race on E registration. This info is for a book so not picking holes in your stuff more trying to get the right guff, cheers

[Oldfart]

i have just received a brand new entry form for three 1965 and 1966 levin motor racing circuit entry forms that state no one will be allowed to race on E registration. This info is for a book so not picking holes in your stuff more trying to get the right guff, cheers

That may have been the rule from that event, I can very confidently say that many cars at other meetings were E registered. If it was a class for road cars, I can understand that would be the case. Somewhere I have a photo of the plate inside a Cooper 500 with the E prominent, would take me days to find though.

[Roger Dowding]

Registration-of-Racing-Machinery-in-days-gone-by.

Remember seeing an Anglia at Pukekohe around 1966 with the number plate attached to the floor.
In the 1940's when Ron Roycroft owned the " Rubber Duck "
- the ex Austin UK Racer, originally raced by George Smith.
George Smith took it to Melbourne mid 1930s', it later went to George Sellars [ in the War - mid 1940s ]; and on to Ron Roycroft in 1947, later went to Herb Gilroy. Have seen a photo with the number plate 1946 - 51 issue on the tail and also the photo below - where a plate is on the front.

Here a photo of the car at Mount Eden Hill Climb 1949 with the Number Plate on the front unsure as to what class of Registration it had. From the Graham Vercoe book Page 17.

78389

This book;

78390

The car at Ohakea in 1982 - my own photo - before it was restored by Grant Cowie - with a later number plate, the 1964 on issue.

78388


Remember being told in the mid 1980's when I had an MGB GT, that I could register it as an Ambulance, to reduce the cost, this is before the wonderful ACC scheme came in , when you had Compulsory 3rd party Insurance as part of the Registration

The plate is barely visible on the tail in the photo at Wigram.