1959 TR3A - TS43043 - reg AAX89A formerly 493KPA

[pxc2000]

Hello,

I am a new TR3A owner, trying to trace early history of my car to enable me to reclaim its original registration mark -  493KPA.

What I know so far it was built in 1959, delivered to L.F.Dove dealership in Wimbledon, Surrey (then), and presumably sold from there in 1959 or 60. In 1959, the reversed KPA series of registrations was issued to Surrey, which ties up with L.F.Dove first registering it as 493KPA.

Next thing I know is that it was re-registered by DVLA in 1984 as AAX89A.

Can anyone shed any light on those early 25 years? Does anyone have any history of L.F.Dove sales records? Or indeed, any info of AAX89A in the last 25 years to the present (also a grey area)?

 

Many thanks,

Paul Clark

[Dannyb]

Could it at some point have been taken out of the UK and registered, and the dvla gave it a new registration when it came back?

My Spit changed plates about 25 years ago. The original is sitting on a Land Rover somewhere. The owner at the time only had the car for a few months. I suspect they bought it for the number plate.

Danny

[Clive]

Another explanation is that the number plate was transferred, and whatever car that went (or subsequently) on no longer exists and the registration was lost. 

I know DVLA were issuing the A registration for all older cars until they changed sometime in the 90s, often using Scottish non suffix registrations (lots of older cars with a S in the reg)

Not that any of that actually helps in your quest!

[pxc2000]

Thanks Danny and thanks Clive. It does help to narrow the options. In fact, I think you have both nominated the only two possible options.

A - somebody sold or took the reg for another car, which is now defunct.

B - it went out of the country, and when returned, it was re-registered. 

Option B begs the questions - what happened to reg 493KPA when it left the country, and is it actually necessary to register a new number in a foreign country, so that if you return you need to re-re-register? 

Anyhow, in either case, 493KPA is not known to DVLA, and so if I can find any evidence that links my VIN to that number, I should be able to claim it.

I am working on two very long shots at the moment - firstly by searching for the sales records of the L.F.Dove Limited company, the dealership which received my car from Triumph and presumably sold it in 1959. And secondly, searching for any record of register of exported cars, either private or Government records. 

One strange twist in the story - the car was re-registered in 1984. TR-Register records show a PO in 1989 called Hodgson, who mentioned that he had received some number plates (493KPA) from the previous owner Davis, in 1988 (presumed when Hodgson bought it from Davis). 

Cheers,

Paul

 

 

[Dannyb]

I wonder if a heritage certificate from British Car Museum at Gaydon would mention the first registration number. 

Danny

[yorkshire_spam]

1 hour ago, Dannyb said:

I wonder if a heritage certificate from British Car Museum at Gaydon would mention the first registration number. 

Danny

My 2 haven't, they've only indicated the reg "as supplied by the person requesting the certificate" - I guess that would be dealer data rather than factory. 

[Dannyb]

51 minutes ago, yorkshire_spam said:

My 2 haven't, they've only indicated the reg "as supplied by the person requesting the certificate" - I guess that would be dealer data rather than factory. 

Yeah I remember now when I got mine. I supplied them with the original registration and the replacement so it was on record. Just looked at my certificate and it says registrations quoted by me.

Danny

[pxc2000]

Before I bought the car I got the Triumph build record through the TR Registrar at TR-Register, which has most of the same info as the BMM Heritage certificate. I subsequently got further info (single enquiry for £10) from BMM to confirm the engine number (surprisingly absent from the build record). It matches my commission number which is good. They also confirmed it was delivered new to L.F.Dove Limited of Wimbledon.

I think I will have to get the whole certificate just to see if it has the original registration. Although, I'm clutching at a straw there  - like you, in the past I had a certificate for a previous car, and that said "registration...as supplied by you".

Cheers,

Paul

[thescrapman]

Heritage certificate will only ever have a reg number supplied by you. They have no records.

you need to find if the local records for Wimbledon still exist in the archives of the council.

[pxc2000]

Wimbledon was in Surrey then (before the GLC). I tried the Surrey History Centre a while ago - they don't have the data. Suggested DVLA, BMM, and the Kithead Trust. I have tried them all, but no luck yet.

I've also written by surface mail to the secretary of the L.F.Dove Limited company. It still exists, and vaguely connected with car sales amongst other things. I wrote to the registered company address but no response yet. I don't hold out much hope that they would still have sales records from 1959!