I liked how using the blank German plate filled in the spot for the plate rather well.   This plate is far too modern for the 250SE.   That style of plate was introduced in the early 90s.  It is quite contemporary for a late 80s car, but doesn’t fit so well for a mid 60s model.   Blank plates are also available for the older style German plates, which were white with a black boundary.    This is also the style that Swiss plates used at the time.   I have a photo of my car in Switzerland when it is new, on Diplomatic plates.   It would be great to find the square ‘CD’ tag one day to attach!

I also used the last of my older style MBCSW badges.  I’ve ordered a couple of new ones as well.    Like with the other blank plate I bought, it was just a matter of drilling the holes in the right spots.   As this is the same size as the original plates, it fits very well in the bumper indent.   The factory plastic mounting wedges are pushing the plate out a bit too much, so I may replace them with something flatter.   They are invisible once the plate is mounted anyway.

At some point I will probably mount a badge on the right hand side.   I’ll be keeping an eye on eBay for something interesting.

As a comparison, I am much happier with the result than my previous attempt.  I also used screws instead of pop rivets, which will make removing the plate to add the second badge much easier.   I used a dremel to cut off the excess length on the back of the screws.   The links to my other cars above will outline the other ways I have been attaching NSW historic plates.

The post Yet another way of attaching NSW Historic Plates appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

On the 250SE and Traction Avant, I made adapter plates out of sheet aluminium.   I’ve never been 100% happy with them.  On the 450SLC, I bought a blank novelty plate in black.    I think the novelty plate company was a bit surprised to sell one blank.   It made a great NSW Historic Plate Adapter.

Recently, I noticed that a friend from the Mercedes Club had bought a blank German number plate to make his adapter.  It looked good on his C123.    The EU style plates are wide, so he also attached a grille badge.   I thought I would try something similar for the 560SEC.  I also didn’t think  black would look all that good with the Nautical Blue W126.   As it happens, I had accumulated a couple of grille badges over the years I could use.

The blank European plates available on eBay come with the little stickers for the city the car is registered.   I asked for something near the factory so they sent me Esslingen.  The factory is in Unterturkheim.   It is about half way between Esslingen and Stuttgart.    For the rear, I had a European Delivery Program badge.    This car isn’t really European delivery car, but it is a private import from the UK.

For the front, I used an older Mercedes-Benz Club NSW badge.   I have mounted the plate on the original adapter.   The original adapter has provision for the exterior sensor probe.   It makes the plate stick out a bit – I may find another way to mount the temperature probe to my plate and then I can remove the original adapter.

These blank German plates make a great NSW historic plate adapter.  I’m happy with the end result.   The cost is only a little more than the other solution, although if I did it again I would have to buy the grille badges as I have no more lying around.    For comparison, a picture of the SLC solution is below.   I think the smaller plate in black looks better on the C107.

Last time I did this job, I used a hand drill.   I now own a drill press which makes it so much easier.   A drill press makes lining up the holes properly much easier.

Update: 7/10/19:  I ended up removing the factory backing plate and attaching the temperature probe to the new plate.   Looks much better.   

The post NSW Historic Plate Adapter appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

Instead, I found a company that makes novelty plates the same size as regular issue.   Normally, the purchaser of such plates nominates the letters to be printed on the plate, but I ordered them with no letters at all – a ready made adaptor!

The picture above illustrates the size difference between a standard plate and the historic one.   I simply needed to drill a few extra holes in the ‘adaptor’ plate, which cost me $30, and mount it to the car.

I used pop rivets to attach the plate to the adaptor.   The 450SLC requires additional holes drilled to mount it to the car.   I don;’t mind drilling into the plate, just not the car.   I purchased the adaptor plate from ‘shh-boom‘.   I purchased an additional plate to use as an adaptor for the E-Type.    This is a slimmer version that I will mount that one  soon.

This solution seems to work well given the limitations of these tiny plates.   I’ve seen some really horrible ways of mounting these plates.   A common (and ugly) one is to take the old number plate and reverse it, using it as a plate.   You can still see the back of the letters embossed.    Looks terrible.   This seems the fastest and most cost effective way of getting a NSW Historic plate mount.

Instead of having to make an adaptor plate, it would be better if the NSW historic plates were a more regular size.   Personally I would make them like the old black and white plates, but add the historic vehicle tag.   The black and white would be more in keeping with the historic vehicles than purple.

Update, October 2019:  I found another solution using a black EU number plate.

The post Mounting NSW Historic plates appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

Adding to that, as the car is now on historic plates, the insurance goes down as well.   so the savings per car work out to be in the order of $1,000 depending on the value (insurance) or weight (rego).  Over time, the insurance rates may go up if people are using this scheme a lot, but it is unlikely to go up to where it was, and will probably settle somewhere in the middle.

The only slight annoyance is the historic rego plates are tiny and look a bit silly on a big car especially as you need to make up special plates to mount them as they are not wide enough for mounting holes…    Not sure why they couldn’t be the same size as the white slimline plates.

So far the Traction Avant and the 250SE are on the new system, and ultimately the Jag and the DS will go over once their rego is due.

The post Cost Savings of new RMS Logbook Trial appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

Under the new rules, you get to use your car for up to 60 days in the year provided that you log the entries in the ‘logbook’ (which is actually a sheet of A4 paper) and you are a financial member of your nominated car club.    The car still needs to pass an annual roadworthy, but you don’t need a pink slip, this is covered in the cost of the registration, which is currently $94.

As the trial is so new, RMS staff are aware of it, but probably haven’t done one before.   The lady who processed my rego today was very helpful, but it took us a while as the first attempt had the car restricted to a particular beach and a requirement that it be floated there.   Needless to say, tractions don’t float.    The finer details of the scheme don’t seem to have been communicated as she had assumed it was a 60 day rego, not a rego you can drive 60 days out of 365.

The announcement implies that the clubs have to participate, but I don’t think they need to do anything to be part of this scheme, just to be part of historic registration in general.

Edit 15/10/15: Looks like the clubs do have to sign up, and the list of participating clubs is available here.   I am a member of the Citroen, Mercedes and Jaguar clubs and all three are now listed as participating.

The photo above shows the logbook, the rego paper that also includes a sticker (unlike with full rego), and the conditions that must be carried in the car.

The plate is quite small, which is a little irritating as it is not long enough to fit any normal mounting holes.   I will have to make custom brackets for every car I put on this scheme.

All in all this is very exciting and finally brings NSW into line with other states.

The post NSW Classic Vehicle Log Book trial starts today appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

1. A trial for improvements to the NSW Conditional Registration scheme (Club Rego)
2. A study to investigate higher speed limits on sections of the Hume and Pacific Highways

The trial for improvements to NSW Conditional Registration will last for two years and allow for 60 days of personal use provided that a log book is kept.    This brings the NSW system in line with the Victorian system which is excellent.    I also think 60 days is more realistic than 90 as it is less open to abuse, but gives you plenty of time to actually use your car.

I would encourage anyone who lives in NSW to write to the Minister and register your support for this trial.     This is the best thing that has happened to the classic car hobby in NSW for many years and it is important that the Government see how popular this will be.

From statistics released by the CMC, there were only about 5,000 cars on the current club system, out of almost 30,000 cars known to be owned by club members.   Given there are many many clubs not affiliated with the CMC, and many cars are owned by not logged with the club, this really showed how useless most people found the existing system.

The speed limit study is also common sense.   Driver fatigue is a big factor in long distance driving and on the roads that support it, higher speeds will mean lower fatigue and not increase fatalities, since those are nearly all registered on roads that have not been upgraded.   Despite the study, I do not think the Government will act on this any time soon, but starting the conversation is an important part of changing outdated and silly policies.

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As I understand it from speaking to people inside the three clubs I am a member of, and reading various submissions, the main reason why clubs oppose a change to a system like they have in Victoria and South Australia (with 45 and 90 day permits for example), is the concern that if owners of classic cars can use them at non-sanctioned club events, then the clubs will become less relevant and attendance at club events, and even membership of smaller clubs will suffer.     The other argument is that the costs will go up – This argument, while true, and is actually a non starter – we already know the cost for the Victorian and South Australian schemes and they are still reasonable and much better value.

Actually I think the opposite is true.   Lets face it, many car clubs are suffering from declining and aging membership.   While there is nothing wrong with aging membership in itself, it means eventually there will not be enough new members to keep numbers up.   Without enough new members, who is going to be the next custodian of some of the lovely old cars that are sitting in garages all around the country?   If the cars are not used?  Who is going to wear them out so they need repair, or parts, or restoration?    To support the classic car hobby, we need thriving businesses that can compete with each other on price, quality and service, and without the cars actually being used, these business will eventually start to close down resulting in lost knowledge and higher prices.   Garage queens are the worst thing for the classic car hobby.

I’m 35 years old and often one of the youngest attendees at various car club events that I go to.   The current historic system is completely useless to me, so I keep four cars on full registration, which is hugely expensive for the amount of times per year they get used, and the biggest car related cost I have.     Having a young family and work commitments means that while I would like to attend more club events, it is often impractical for me to do so, so I find other ways and reasons to use my cars – maybe a late night drive….  maybe while I’m doing some errands….   Maybe taking a classic if I’m going on a weekend away with my family.     None of these things are possible with the NSW system, but would be in Victoria or SA.    I know plenty of people in my age group or younger that have an interest in older cars, but it is too impractical and expensive to get involved.    And why would you join the club if you don’t own the car, or plan to buy it?

Personally, were NSW to adopt a Victorian style system, I would continue to be a car club member.   They offer interesting events that I would like to do more of, the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable members and chances to meet people with similar hobbies and interests.     But as well as getting to the occasional club event like I do now, I would also be able to use my cars in a more cost effective way, and in time would even consider buying more.   I might even convince a few more people to get involved in the classic car hobby.   There are always great low-cost classics for sale, yet the cost of registration makes the whole proposition too expensive for a hobby.

The CMC report mentions that in Victoria historic registration went from 10,000 to 50,000 and implies that it is somehow a bad thing.   This is a great thing!  Most of these cars would not be on the road anymore without this system.  True there are probably a few people who abuse the system, and they should be prosecuted.   There may even be a few minor loopholes that can be closed (e.g. campervans, or towing, or commercial use).   But people in NSW abuse the current system too, and when rules are broken, rule breakers should be punished, not the majority.    I also have friends in these states who have rescued old cars that were on the brink of scrappage and brought up them up a roadworthy state to be enjoyed under their system.

The reason why this decision is so short sighted is that the classic car club movement desperately needs to attract the next generation of members.   With the spiraling cost of housing in Sydney, and the time pressures on those people for work and family, the current system simply puts the ability to consider having a classic car out of reach of most younger New South Welshmen.   Once you get people interested in the hobby, they’ll join the clubs – they’ll need the wealth of information that the club members have to offer.   But you’re not going to get members if they are not already interested in the hobby.     Sadly, over the next twenty years I see many once thriving clubs folding, and some of the lesser known but really interested and historic vehicles unable to find a new custodian to lavish the same care and attention that their previous ones have.

Jeff Kennett might have enticed the Grand Prix and other events to Melbourne, and his successors might just poach all the classic cars too!

The post The NSW CMC stance on historic registration is disappointing and short sighted appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

NSW also has a particularly useless conditional registration scheme, whereby collector cars can go on ‘club’ plates and be used only for club events.   Great if you are able to make a lot of club events, but not so great if you have to work a lot, or have a young family and want to drive your car when you can.

Now they are at it again with a set of changes that sound like the work of some car manufacturer or dealer lobby group.  Essentially instead of being by weight, car registration will be calculated from a formula based on safety rating, emissions, and weight, with the final ratios to be determined.   It is rather ironic that finally after the Australian car industry has died, they are trying to force us all to buy new cars.

This scheme is supposed to start with new cars, then gradually move to older cars as well.   Given how poor the NSW club rego scheme is, those of us who have to pay through the nose to drive a few paltry kms per year are just going to have to pay more, as we are forced to buy new Hyundai’s.

Not only that, but they completely fail to take into account how much pollution is created to create a new car – especially in our globalised world where all the parts are shipped around the world, the high plastics content, and the batteries now used in Hybrids.   The option that is actually good for the environment is to use what we have – unless it is being driven for commercial purposes like a taxi, delivery van etc.

Good to see lobby group led policy is alive and well in NSW.   For those who want to read more.

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