The A1 registration plate is a United Kingdom vehicle registration plate that was first issued in 1903. It has since had several owners and has been transferred between many different vehicles. While it was the first vehicle registration issued in London, it is not the first issued in the United Kingdom.

History

In 1903, the Motor Car Act, which mandated the registration of motor vehicles, became law. ^[2] It took effect on 1 January 1904, though the first number plates were issued in late 1903. ^[3] The A1 registration plate was issued by London County Council in December 1903. From surviving records, the first number known to have been issued is DY1, issued in Hastings on 23 November 1903. ^[4]

The plate was issued to the second Earl Russell for his Napier car. ^[5] There are different accounts of how Russell obtained the plate, with many stating he queued all night for it, ^[5] or he made his butler queue all night. ^{[6] [7]} However Russell served in the London County Council as an Alderman from 1895 to 1904, and was at one time chairman of the council highways committee. ^[8] All the first London registrations with single-digit numbers went to politicians connected with the London County Council or their relatives. ^{[9] [Note 1]}

In 1906, Russell's car, with the registration, was sold to the Chairman of the London County Council.^{[ citation needed]} In 1907, it was bought by George Pettyt. He was the head of the Maudes Group, a car dealership. ^{[5] [10] [Note 2]} Prettyt successively transferred the registration to each of his personal cars over the following years. ^[11]

Pettyt died in 1950. His Sunbeam Talbot 90, which then bore the plate, was bequeathed to Trevor Laker, a former editor of Motorcycle and Cycle Trader, and a company director of John Bull Rubber. ^{[5] [12]} In 1951, Talbot transferred the registration from the Sunbeam-Talbot to a new Austin A90 Atlantic, which became the 37th car to use the plate. ^[5] A condition of Prettyt's bequest was that Laker would use the plate for his lifetime, then it was to be sold and the proceeds given to a dogs' charity. In 1959, Laker sold the plate for £2,500 and donated the money to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, with Laker allowed to continue using it for his lifetime. ^{[13] [5]} In 1970 Laker died, and the buyer– Dunlop Rubber–took ownership and rights to the plate. ^[5]

Dunlop put the registration onto a Daimler limousine that was used to transport VIPs to and from the Dunlop factories.^{[ citation needed]} The plate was used for a brief period on the Director of Engineering's car, a Mini. The tyre division later took ownership and it was used for promotional purposes, including the marketing of the Denovo "fail-safe" wheels.^{[ citation needed]}

In 1985, BTR plc gained the A1 plate after it acquired Dunlop. The company's headquarters in Birmingham placed it on a Ford Granada. ^[14] In 2000, the plate was bought by Jefri Bolkiah after its sale by Insignia Registrations alongside the plate, 1A. The plates were placed on matching, white Bentley Azures.^{[ citation needed]} As of 16 March 2023, the plate is assigned to a black 2007 Mini Cooper S Auto. ^[15]

See also

• Vanity plate
• Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom

Notes

References