Glenn Rebello admits to an obsession with number plates.

n the three odd years since I took a break from writing about motoring, I appreciate how much has changed in the automotive world. Those of you who have followed the pilgrimages of motor shows will share with me the excitement of brighter and better new models, lots of repeat appearances and a smattering of updates. What hasnt changed, however, is the perception of unsatisfied customer. And, though car manufacturers continue to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of their products, there

is still a lot left to be desired. Increasing customer needs have always triggered excellent ideas and new automotive inventions. Like a good wardrobe, street fashion has a great influence on ones profile and people go to great lengths to upgrade the cars character to match their personality. Thus we have had aftermarket firms luring aficionados with beefy body kits, spoilers, shinny hubcaps, flashy stereos, colourful decals, muscular bumpers, et al to help flaunt their individuality through auto-

mobiles. Much of these, of course, is not uncommon any more and fails to impress. When I moved to New Zealand, I stumbled across a new hot car accessory, something beyond aftermarket gadgetry,

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that marks automobiles with a single expression and personal taste. Historically, automobiles have always been the forte of this sparsely populated nation, especially its reputation of designing race cars, restoring classic automobiles, and insatiable consumption of cars - measured in per capita - that almost tops the world list. But that apart, theres a certain vibe about how the Kiwis adorn their cars with all kinds of accessories. I was introduced to the domain of personalised number plates. Okay, Ill admit that I save a lot of passion for number plates. Or perhaps I was born with a genetic predisposition to number plates. The reality is that I don't know. I have always wondered if I should be paying more attention watching out for other automobiles or traffic signals on the road than glancing at number plates. My earliest memory goes way back to a serious seven-yearold, particularly serious about memorising the registration numbers of passing vehicles. As I grew up, I could put a face to most of the number plates in my neighbourhood. I practised that with great zeal, and the more I learnt, the more I liked it. I only wish I had been as adept at school. But mind you, I am not alone. There are a throng of people who scratch their heads over this out of the ordinary passion not exactly the same, but not all

that different either. To prove the point, let me explain. Let me hope that you are aware that coughing up a few bucks (officially or deviously) can get you registration numbers to choose from at your local RTO. Numbers like 786 (from the famous Bollywood blockbuster of yesteryear, Deewar) or triples or quadruples of digits like 777, 1111, 9999, etc are, for some reason, always up for grabs, and they are probably snapped up no soon after being allocated. I dont know how it is with you, but I have heard stories about motorists counselling astrologers and numerologists to help choose a registration number for their vehicles. I was pretty dismissive about such yarns until I worked for someone who drove more than half a dozen cars, and called on astrologers to find a unique registration number every time he bought a new one. And sure enough, you may have occasionally witnessed number plates in regional languages and been confused with the relevance of personalisation in that case. Funnily enough, the script may be regional, but the number is vocable in English. All very sensible, of course. But thats not my point. My point is that the concept of personalised plates is not new to us. However, the scale of personalisation in my part of the world is
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medical representative MEDICA, battery specialist 12 VOLT, disco jockey DEEJAY. The most obvious ones use the owners name or the name of his or her beloved. As a matter of fact, you cant escape without noticing number plates with Indian names like AJITH, ARYAN, MANKI, JGOVND, AARSHN or CARAGH tagged to a car. And then you may find some mundane form of personalisation like 8 SIX 3, A 80 A, PO 8, or simply a number 168998 in place of a number plate, quite different vast and proliferating rapidly as image-conscious motorists try to make their motoring mark. The demand for these unique plates is such that the trade in them has become a big business. What lies at the heart of this burgeoning trend is innovation. The plates are often mini-puzzles of letters and numbers chosen by the owner. Admittedly, they appear not to make sense to me always, but if you solve a tricky one you feel like a clever soul. And if you cant, at least it keeps you thinking for quite a while. These plates, as I found out, fall into many rough categories. Several people have number plates with short descriptions of the types of cars such as STEP W on a Honda Step Wagon or TOYRV4 on a Toyota RAV 4 or AUDI QT on an Audi Quattro. Others choose to impress using numbers which bear messages such as MITHAZ, HI BOYZ, LUZN IT, UR LVD, 4 OF US, GUD DAY, BAD DAY or with various sayings including 1 FOR ALL, ALL FOR 1 and the like. It is also not unusual to see some number plates that one can identify with a business or a professional. For example, a lawyer may use LAW4YU, a refrigeration and air-con dealer uses ALLCLD, vacuum dealer VACMAN, which may not stimulate the limbic system of your brain. But imaginative and original ones like UNIQ 1, EZ DRFT, 2MPRSV, NAVIG8, XDREME, JUZZIE, TEK DIS, MY YPS, FOREVA definitely do! I could go on, but to summarise, innovation is the name of the game and makes the possibilities as to what appearance your car number plate can
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take are virtually endless. It is only limited by ones imagination. Generally, the tradition is to use up to six alphanumeric combinations for cars and trucks (five for motorcycles/trailers), plus one or two spaces. And as one cannot have a personalised plate which has already been issued, phonetic or numeric variations of the same word are often used. For instance, one can a 4 for a for, a 5 for an S, 1 instead of I, et cetera. So plates like 8ANANA can be read like BANANA and TOPL3S like TOPLESS. By the way, these personalised number plates cost a lot more than normal ones. Anyone can pick up any number which has never been issued, for about five hundred dollars and register it in a simple hassle free process. Just visit the relevant website, find a suitable registration plate, pay the price and when you get it by post, take it to the local post office and register it. Interestingly enough, when the individual acquires entitlement to the registration number, he or she becomes the registered lifetime keeper of the number plate. So when the vehicle changes hands, the individual can de-register the vehicle and keep his

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another). So theres no shortage of puckish ones that read SEXY 4 U, I M SEXY, UR SEXY, 2 SEXY, U SEXY, SO SEXY, and so on. And occasionally you see an obnoxious remark employed with an ambiguous message that could have possibly slipped through without anyone noticing it. On my way back home on a weekend drive, I found a car with a licence plate IM RAYC. I was impressed. But the whole thing put me in mind of another number-plate incident when I spotted a car with the plate ALPHA Q. It takes guts, I thought. As I write this, the probability is that one in every 50 cars on Auckland roads will have one. Its hard to measure this, but the point is that theres plenty out there adding a bit of sparkle on the road.
666 RWC JPN (i.e. Rugby World Cup Japan) Y 66 181 V8 90 1U1 196 AAAAA XTGT WRCNZ KNGKON
(Source: www.plates.co.nz)

$ 1,30,000.00 $ 1,10,000.00 $ 95,000.00 $ 90,000.00 $ 85,000.00 $ 41,000.00 $ 30,000.00 $ 30,000.00 $ 25,000.00 $ 25,000.00 $ 22,500.00 $ 22,000.00 $ 20,000.00

unique number plate to be registered and fixed on his or her new car. Brilliant. And if you desire a plate thats already been issued, you have the option to buy it through the media like a website or local newspapers. Some people I spoke to agree that unlike the car, the value of your number plate does not depreciate and becomes a sort of financial investment giving handsome returns in some cases. They are right. See the box for some plates currently on sale by private individuals.

Theres compelling evidence that number plates are issued with some caution. In actual fact, the unique number has to be within reason and taste, and cannot be objectionable, obscene or vulgar (though this is tricky because what is not objectionable, obscene or vulgar to one eye may be regarded as being so to

Once I passed a car tagged with BOMB4Y. My immediate reaction was: If you have a plate which looks like the word Bombay, I could just about guarantee that the guy in it was determined to retain his links with Mumbai. And so it was. Its a great bonding thing, but theres a drawback, Rahim Nathani quipped. Though it is easier to remember the customised number on the car, there are some possible disadvantages as well. Almost everyone knows where you drive or park your car. If you're a reckless driver or violate the law, you're probably more likely to be noticed and found, he continued, and narrated how the police once mistakenly summoned him for some traffic offence. However, the essence in Rahims case is that he got this number plate for free! As a matter of fact he bought the car just for the number plate. Amongst all this prevalence of personalised number plates, the ones that stand out in my memory belong to Milind Gode. It may sound a bit extrav-

agant, but hes bought four personalised plates (MANASI, SANIKA, MILIND and BBLGUM). His wifes name is on his Seven Series and his daughters is on his Echo. He also has his own name and another one in spare, and hes determined to retain his family links on the roads of NZ for years to come. Hes rediscovered that these plates triple his ego, double his excitement and single him out. I would like to think that some people like personalised number plates because they are distinctive and easy to remember, while others are passionate about their cars and find this to be an easy and economical way to customize them. And though a number plate is primarily considered a unique means of identifying a vehicle for law enforcement purposes, personalising it makes it a unique car accessory. First, it is the only such plate in the entire country. Second, it does not require maintenance, lasts a lifetime and can be a family heirloom to be passed down for generations to come. Certainly, theres no other thing on the road like a good personalised number plate. And youd believe thats the reason I am desperate to find one as I stalk through the everyday humdrum traffic. Right? Wrong. Actually, number-plate hunting is in my blood. I just can't resist the call.
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