Total angst re: mirrors

Nah, thanks, but, I’ll pass. I already own one in Brooklyn.

Such a lovely roadster!

image

Made more famous by one S. Moss…

…although how on earth did that one get an ‘L’ registration??? 1972? Don’t think so… oh hang on, it’s LHD

so is that a continental number from the 50s?

Looks like a UK number format before they went all euro plates, probably an import which would require a new rego issued.

thanks Robin, what significance would the ’ L’ in reg # ?

Hi John,
Here is a picture of the XK contingent of the drive you referenced yesterday. The route was along the Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, and Marshfield shoreline of Massachusetts. It was assembled and lead by Dan Graf and was comprised of around 20 cars. The “perfect 120” is the BRG one behind my silver FHC, and your silver 120 OTS is the third from the end, before the two 150’s. What a great day it was!

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UK plates are all date-related. ‘L’ tells you the car was built between 1st August 1971 and 31st July 1972. It is illegal for a UK car to display a plate that makes the car look any younger than it really is, so a fifties car displaying a seventies plate would immediately be impounded. Imported cars are required to be registered with a plate appropriate to the age of manufacture - my Mustang was imported in 2005, but the DVLA registered it with an ‘F’ plate, for 1968. I don’t believe this Alpine is UK-registered, especially as it’s LHD.

UK only used white background on front plates , yellow on year

And here, I thought I was just posting a photo of a lovely British roadster.

I forgot I was posting on “Calling All Anoraks!”

:roll_eyes:

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Good point Jim, I left in ‘67 so just a bit out of touch. Be interesting to know the true location then.

Looks just like mine, but I had London taxi tires (whitewalls look better).

image

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You’re right, Jim - I thought there was something odd about it! Belgian? Don’t know…

Wing mirrors were on almost all British Sports Cars back in the day. Saying they ruin the lines now is like saying the headlights ruin the lines. I don’t recall anyone saying they wish they could do away with wing mirrors for esthetic reasons.

I’d say there are plenty of cars where the practical bumpers detract from the look. Ex: xk140 front/rear.

Many xk owners don’t drive their cars in bad weather, downtown commuter traffic, etc. so we have more flexibility to prioritize the esthetic.

John

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John:

Agreed. All good points, John. When I got my XK back in '63 it had the Lucas round mirrors mounted toward the rear of the front wing, close to the antenna. Both are now gone. When the car was painted back in the late seventies I made the decision that I liked the wing lines without the mirrors. Sure, as I age twisting the neck to look over the shoulder just to double check is getting more difficult, but the saying in my garage is: aesthetics are everything. Rarely drive with the top up or in bad weather and most certainly not in commuter traffic so it works for me.

Chris.

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My !50 S when it arrived in Australia in 1963, complete with English plates. When I bought the car in '69 the mirrors were not on the car I do have both mirrors now.

My solution to avoid drilling holes for side mirrors!

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Nice, but tricky on a DHC…