Look what I found parked in m97's space | FerrariChat

Look what I found parked in m97's space

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by 330P4, Mar 6, 2008.

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  1. 330P4

    330P4 Rookie

    Mar 3, 2008
    8
    Southampton, UK
    Full Name:
    Saviour Mintoff
    #1 330P4, Mar 6, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  2. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 5, 2002
    23,988
    Portland, Oregon
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    Don
    Actually, it's a 365GT 2+2, 801 built (I don't know how many are RHD).

     
  3. Ed_Long

    Ed_Long Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    686
    Salem, Oregon USA
    Full Name:
    Ed Long
    That is a 365, not a 330. What is the significance of an H plate?
    Beautiful color, very nice.
     
  4. 330P4

    330P4 Rookie

    Mar 3, 2008
    8
    Southampton, UK
    Full Name:
    Saviour Mintoff
    Woops, that's my fingers talking, not my brain. 365 it is.
    'H' plate, UK reg
     
  5. Simon

    Simon Moderator
    Moderator Owner

    Aug 29, 2003
    6,750
    Switzerland
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    Simon
    Before the current UK regitration system the letter at the end of the plate denoted the year of registration.
    1962-1983 the date letter was at the end. From 1983-2001 the date letter moved to the front of the plate.
    A few letters were not used to avoid confusion when reading plates from afar. Z and O for example might be confused with 2 and 0

    H is an August 1969 registration
     
  6. AndrewWA

    AndrewWA Formula Junior

    Oct 14, 2005
    948
    Sunbury, London
    Full Name:
    Andrew Stevens
    I would have thought it was a liittle later than Aug 1969, as it's a later spec car with 'mechanical' front 1/4 windows. Our car was delivered Jan '69 in Yorkshire and it's the earlier style one. Will need to go through the history file to find out it's original rego #... ours is #12009.
     
  7. Ed_Long

    Ed_Long Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    686
    Salem, Oregon USA
    Full Name:
    Ed Long
    Ahh, I understand, very interesting as Poirot would say. I see the VW across the street has a very different numerology.

    In the second pic through the driver's side window, the shifter appears to be in first gear, but my gosh it is right up to the console. It looks like a real knuckle cruncher or is that an optical illusion of some kind?
     
  8. Arvin Grajau

    Arvin Grajau Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 7, 2006
    76,922
    Wurundjeri man.
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    Arvin Grajau
    nice old girl
     
  9. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 23, 2007
    3,520
    UK
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    Grant
    Do they have the chassis number stamped on the top of the steering column as the Daytona did? if so you might be able to see it through the windscreen.

    Ed from the pic it looks like you are right, you would change the radio station with your knuckels evey time you hit first gear.
     
  10. AndrewWA

    AndrewWA Formula Junior

    Oct 14, 2005
    948
    Sunbury, London
    Full Name:
    Andrew Stevens
    There's plenty of room in front of the gear lever - no chance of hitting the radio! 365GTs didn't have the chassis number visible anywhere, so you need to peer under the bonnet (hood?) next time you see the car! Perhaps you can keep an eye ou for the owner.
    #12009 was reregistered with a "G" registration when it was traded in on a Daytona in 1971 sometime, so I don't know how the UK rego system works!
     
  11. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 5, 2002
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    Don
    Isn't that only US cars?

     
  12. 330P4

    330P4 Rookie

    Mar 3, 2008
    8
    Southampton, UK
    Full Name:
    Saviour Mintoff
    Yep, I'll be keeping my eye open for her, you can bet your sweet bippy I will. I'll keep you all informed when she reappears.
     
  13. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Aug 3, 2002
    40,647
    California
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    Carbon McCoy
    Not entirely. I don't know when Ferraris built for other markets began receiving steering wheel VIN/serial number plates, but there are definitely many Euro cars out there that have them. Also, I've seen steering wheel VIN/serial number plates going as far back as Daytonas - but not before (I believe the Daytona is the earliest model to receive a steering wheel VIN/serial number plate). I would be interested in finding out exactly when Euro and other market cars began receiving VIN/serial number plates, if anyone knows.

    As for the original post, what a beautiful car. Does the H on the plate mean that this car has been with the same owner since 1969, or merely with the same plate since 1969...?
     
  14. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 5, 2002
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    Don
    Interesting... my 1969 US 365 2+2 has the plate with the serial number on top of the steering column.

     
  15. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Aug 3, 2002
    40,647
    California
    Full Name:
    Carbon McCoy
    That's fantastic...! Can you post a picture...?
     
  16. ddemuro

    ddemuro Formula 3

    Nov 16, 2006
    2,129
    San Diego
    Full Name:
    Doug
    All it means is that the car is a 1969.

    In the UK, the vehicle is assigned a registration number - not the owner. That means that the license plate the car is issued stays with it for its life. However, if the owner chooses to purchase a 'cherished number' (the UK equivalent to a vanity or personalized license plate), the plates on the car leave it and the one the owner has paid extra for are registered instead. However, if an owner were to sell a car with a 'cherished number' plate, the registration number the car bore prior to the installation of the cherished number would go back on the vehicle, and the owner would keep the cherished number for his next car.

    This particular vehicle does not have cherished number plates, but it probably did at one time. The license plates currently on it are not original (because they are yellow [rear] and white [front] while original UK license plates were black through 1983), meaning at some point someone who owned the car removed the original plates for something else, likely a cherished number. As the car changed hands, it is likely that a prior owner retained the cherished number, and new plates bearing its original registration number were made up.

    To answer your question more succinctly, no, the car has probably not been owned by the same person since 1969, and no, the same license plate has not been on the car since 1969.
     
  17. MarkCollins

    MarkCollins F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Jul 2, 2002
    3,202
    South England
    Full Name:
    Mark Collins
    Just to clarify the H suffix means it was originally registered in the UK sometime between Aug 1st 1969 and July 31st 1970.
     
  18. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
    10,117
    The Netherlands
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    Marnix
    These cars are sooooo pretty. Even moreso when pictured in today´s traffic of modern cars. Thanks for posting!
     

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