Correct German plates

David

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Id like to add German license plates to my car, but trying to figure out what would be period correct is difficult. Id like plates that would have been used on the car while in Germany, prior to being exported to USA.*The URL below show several plates. Does anyone know which, if any, would have been correct in 1974 ?

http://www.autoplates.com/euromeanings.htm
 

Tierfreund

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Period correct would be the right one of the uppermost two pcitures. Anything with the blue strip and the newer typefont came in the 90s.
You need the simple old font pure black and white

The proper script would be

XX - XX 999

Wherby anything before the hyphen would be the city it was registered (one to 3 characters (a list is on the website you linked))

then 1 or two characters in the middle (after the hyphen, before the numbers). These are random (though some combinations were never issued (such as the obvious SS or NS or such). Also some combinations of city and characters were not issued (such as FU-CK..., although interestingly S-EX has been issued...)

Then lastly 1 to 4 digits (though 4 could not be period correct. 4 were issued only in larger citys and only beginning in the late 80s). Of course short and attractive combinations were popular (and you could try to get them depending on wheter or not you were friends with the major...)

So most likely would be something such as

B - AS 998

or

FFB - HG 38

for an E9

then there´s the issue of the seals / stamps

There would be a seal from the issuing city on both front and rear plate, placed under the hyphen

on the back plate there would be the (TÜV-Plakette), the stamp by the technical testing organisation that had to be renewed every two years (with rotating colours). Placed above the hyphen

Any questions, feel free to ask, I´m german and old enough to know...
 

Tierfreund

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You mention "before exporting to the US".

There also are special temporary plates "Zollkennzeichen" that would have been correct for cars bound for export. If you were to buy a car in germany (new or used) and we´re planning on exporting, you could get temporary plate (30 days, I believe). They were red type on white ground and oval in shape. (in the 70s and 80s). They are not pictured on the website.
 

tmason

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I was thinking of making a custom label to copy a special plate like
74 E9 CSA and mounting on a piece of aluminum the same size as Euro plate.So thanks for the question and the answer from Tierfreund.Also if you have the measurement of a plate would help me. Thanks Tim
 

Stevehose

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Rectangular: (4.38 inches high x 20.44 inches wide / 110 mm x 520 mm)


I was thinking of making a custom label to copy a special plate like
74 E9 CSA and mounting on a piece of aluminum the same size as Euro plate.So thanks for the question and the answer from Tierfreund.Also if you have the measurement of a plate would help me. Thanks Tim
 

David

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Thank you Tierfreund. This is very helpful. Are the seals/stamps stickers or are they embossed into the plate ?

I'm guessing stickers. I thought I had read that the TUV seals had a different color each year. Any idea what the correct color for 1974 would have been ?
 

Tierfreund

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These days stickers are the norm for TUV/AU as well as the seal from the city. In 1974 a different method was mostly in use where there was a sort of tin cup riveted to the plate and the seal was actually a brittle disk that could be pressed into the cup but not removed without braking it. You´ll hardly be able to replicate that these days.

My best guess for the seal colour for 1974 would be brown. (educated guess by the logic of the table on the website you linked).
 

Aurelius

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My best guess for the seal colour for 1974 would be brown. (educated guess by the logic of the table on the website you linked).

Not trying to be too smart here, but shouldn't it be orange then? A car that was first registered in 1974 would have been due for emissions and TUEV testing in 1977 (first interval for new cars of 3 years, after that 2 years - at least that is what it is today). Since the sticker has the color of the year when the car is due, the color would have been the 1977 color, which according to the logic of the table should be orange.

Aurel

P.S.: Tierfreund, seeing that I live nearby (Mülheim a.d. Ruhr), maybe we get to meet each other some day in person, e.g. at the Oldtimertreffen Zollverein!
 

bmw art car

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all these plates are new styles and not what they would have been in the 70's though
they had a letter for the city first like M for munich. then a seal and then a couple more letters and numbers
kind of like this
2050120004Mini3L.jpg

no blue area at the left...that came in the 90's and no red area at the left.... those were export tags
here's one on evil bay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GERM...rQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_1590wt_886
 
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bmw art car

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ooogh I don't remember too well, but IIRC the safety seal was in the back along the registration seal... front would be emission and registration seal...
but's it's been a long time ago since I saw a tag like that
 

David

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I just had this rear plate made from licenseplate.tv. They seem to be the only folks that had the vintage font. About $80 including the stickers, frame and shipping. 7 day turnaround. Sure hope I got this right. M for Munich along with Munich sticker. 374 for the production (March 74). TUV for 1977 (first renewal 3yrs after manufacturing). Color correct TUV for 77. I think these were supposed to be metal disks, but I couldn't find those.

IMG_0492.jpg
 
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Tierfreund

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That´s spot on period correct.
Except for the tacky chromed-plastic plate surround. Such tastelessness hadn´t been invented back in the 70s.
70s correct german mounting would be without a surround but with two bolts / screws (centred) going through the plate to the mounting holes.

On the front two bolts through the plate (upper lip) on then through the bumper holes with a special reinforcement rubber strip (still available, I believe) and otherwise bare.
 

David

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Great to hear I got it right. Ill take that chrome strip off. For some reason I could image it being used back in the day.

Now I just need to figure out how to mount this, and the US plate...
 

Stevehose

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Does the plate come holes pre-drilled for mounting?

Great to hear I got it right. Ill take that chrome strip off. For some reason I could image it being used back in the day.

Now I just need to figure out how to mount this, and the US plate...
 
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