Javillac
The world of license plates for classic cars in Spain is a topic that gives a lot of insight and about which pages and pages could be written. That is why from LA ESCUDERÍA we have decided to carry out A simple and comprehensive guide to which cars carried certain types of license plates.
This can help many owners make the right decision so that This element that serves to identify the vehicle also accompanies the aesthetics of this in addition to being faithful to the time in which it was enrolled.
PRE-WAR CARS: PAINTED AND FORGED PLATES
The first automobile to be registered in Spain arrived in 1900, and launched a system that distinguished by province and that was in force for a hundred years. Initially the plates had the provincial distinctive, one or two letters accompanied by the registration number, which was in numerical order.
Among the first cars that were registered in Spain there was a certain freedom with the format of the plates, some of them being with a black background with white characters, but The white plate with black numbers and letters was soon standardized.
Back of The most frequent formats were forged plates, very exclusive since a new mold had to be made for each license plate and today they are not replicated. On the other hand, they were painted and enameled license plates, much more artisanal and by far the most common.
Although Hand-painted license plates were most popular before the Civil War and remained very common in post-war times. and some vehicles such as the Citroën 2CV in its first series or the biscuit, as well as several motorcycles continued to use them throughout the 1950s.
UNTIL 1971: RIVETED PLATES
Starting in October 1971, the license plates began to have letters at the end of the license plates., thus achieving that the digits of these were reduced to four. This also marked the end of riveted plates which had their greatest heyday since the 1940s.
These license plates, the most common being those manufactured by Joaquín Saludes, consisted of a white iron plate to which the characters were added, also made of metal using rivets. Although replicas are made today, the originals are characterized by a thick unpainted frame.
Some cars, such as those manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, had special license plates adapted to be the same size as the license plate holder. with those that left the factory. Models such as the Renault 4 and Renault 8 in their first series had a larger license plate, and cars such as the Dodge Dart and early 3700 Just as American-made cars had license plates with a special format.
FROM 1971 TO 1986: FINE OR PRE 86 GRAPHICS
Leaving behind the riveted license plates, On October 7, 1971, a new registration format was presented that was now stamped on the plate itself.. Their typography is easily recognizable due to its fine lines and very rounded characters.
The big news was that reflective plates were introduced for the first time, something that forced owners of Spanish vehicles manufactured before 1971 to replace their riveted plates with newer ones as the XNUMXs progressed. For this reason, it is common to see cars with provincial license plates without letters with this type of format, denoting that they continued in use during those years.
As for the types of pre 86 plates that exist, there are many variants, which vary depending on the manufacturer, some with or without a black border, and even the brand for which they were intended. One feature is their yellow color that is only seen on the plates manufactured at the time and they denote antiquity, something that replicas cannot match.
On the other hand, there were some cars with riveted plates registered after October 7, 1971, although these were very few. It is also worth noting that, Although the name by which these license plates are known is pre 86, they were in force until March 1987.
POST 86 SYSTEM
Between 1987 and 2000, car license plates began to use thicker characters with a less rounded stroke that is identical to the typography used in current cars. During that period of thirteen years The license plates were simply white, without shields in the background and without the European distinctive that was introduced with the current system that eliminated the initial letter that identified each province.
Notably Some motorcycles continued to use the typography used on pre-86 plates until the XNUMXst century., combining these characters with the European blue band.
Images: Javier Ramiro, Javier Molina, Antonio Silva, Pablo Lozano
