British car culture is as advanced as any in the world, and in one area it positively excels. Yes, Americans and Europeans can get personalised license plates of various kinds, but leave it to us to make it a great investment. Personalised registrations have been increasing in value for several years and there is nothing to suggest that they won’t just keep on with it.
Now, there are other ways to make your car uniquely yours, and not all of them cost you a pretty penny, either. Along with the uniquely British plates, you can adopt and adapt ideas from car cultures around the world to personalise the rest of your ride, too. We’ll start up with the registrations, but after those the list is not in any particular order, and all the tips and tricks can be customised and stylised to be your very own. That said, here are your 10 simple tricks to personalising your automobile!
1. Prefix car registration numbers: These are DVLA number plates that have the year letter at the beginning of the series. They can be “C10 BOB” or “J7 ANN” as long as there are three letters, preceded by numbers from 1 to 999, with a prefix indicator that excludes the letters I, O, Q, U and Z. Prefix plates of this sort were assigned by DVLA Registrations between 1983 and 1999 and there are literally millions (a score of millions, really) for sale.
2. Dateless personalised plates: Such plates as “CR 6” are called “cherished number” ones, and their incredible desirability means they will have the highest value. They are popular because the letters are first in the series. Private number plates of this kind that have three letters can follow them with numbers from 1 to 999, while those with two letters can have numbers from 1 to 9999 and go back as far as the year 1903.
3. Other personalised plates: Reversed dateless British car registration numbers like “6 MJR” are referred to as “reversed personalised” car registrations, and will usually have a bit less value than the classic kinds of “cherished” number plates. The “suffix car registration numbers” have the year letter at the end of the series like “ABC 1E.” Irish car registration numbers like “GAZ 27” have two or three letters first, contain at minimum one I or Z, and then end with between one and four numbers. The particulars of the number and letter combinations can be researched at any good registration sales site.
4. Trim parts and chrome: Another good way to make your car your very own is to add (or upgrade) some chrome trim parts. Be careful adding chrome pieces like wheel well trim to modern makes that don’t use a lot of chrome or are mono-coloured. However, classic makes can really be spiffed up considerably with a little trim.
5. Window dressing: The top of your front windshield, or the lower section of your rear window, can be frosted or coloured so that your name or other caption can be set into it. You can cheer for your favourite footballer, band or MP, even.
6. Stripes and flames: They are much more popular in the States, but some car lovers here at home are trying out Union Jacks and pinstripes and even flame decals. Actually, there is no limit to the kind of decals or decorations with which you can adorn your auto, whether you stick flowers on the boot or stripes on the doors. Whatever reflects your style and your passion is a good candidate for the surface of your car, too!
7. Stickers and signs: You don’t have to make your bumper sticker personalisation a life-long thing, as there are removable stickers as well as frames that you can put the stickers in. These frames can be on the bumper or inside one of the side or rear windows, and you can broadcast your opinion without permanently pasting it to your ride.
8. Flags and pennants: Although not all cars have antennas anymore, those that do can use them as flagpoles. Fly your team colours, no matter what the sport, or show your patriotism with the Union Jack. If you are a playboy kind of chap, the skull and crossbones isn’t a bad choice. Ladies, you can put your favourite pennant up, too.
9. Communicative mud flaps: First popularised by truck drivers in the American Southwest, wheel well flaps no longer have just chrome images of ladies. These flaps can carry any message you care to send about you, your tastes, your politics or your hobbies. Put your phone number on there if you like!
10. Customising the interior: Not all of your personalisation has to be kept on the outside, or directed to passers-by. You can personalise the interior as well, in a huge number of ways. You can decorate, invest in comfort or do a little of both. What you want to accomplish, of course, is making the car “truly yours,” and that means having it reflect who you are. Don’t overdo things, and certainly don’t diminish the car’s comfort (or any legal requirements) just to make a statement.
Done right, your customising will make your car one of a kind, while retaining the comfort and performance features that make it a good car to begin with. Use your head, add a little from your heart and stay within the law, and you can have a car that is really “you” and unlike any other on the road!
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