Private Plates Events
The glamour of the occasion usually ensures plenty of media attention - several private numbers events have been given national television coverage - the advertisements placed in the quality national press ensure extra bodies through their turnstiles. A car numbers rally can be far more lucrative for the owners of the venue than a specialist vehicle event such as an MG owners day. Many car clubs are run by amateurs and don't have the necessary funds to advertise. Most car numbers rallies run at a fractional loss or a small profit. The dealers treat it as a public relations exercise, and the enthusiasts don't mind spending five pounds or so to be part of the experience. For many entrants, the champagne picnic is the biggest expense of the day. These have become a feature of the events, and whilst one doesn't wish to intrude on the privacy of the picnic, there's a temptation to have a crafty crane.
The first car numbers rally was organised by the Cherished Numbers Dealers Association at Beaulieu in 1973. It was a public relations exercise that coincided with the infancy of the cherished numbers business as we know it today. The Association was actually known as the Personalised Numbers Dealers Association in those days. The name changed when the Department of Transport started to get heavily into the act and created the term "cherished transfer" for the transaction of transferring a registration mark from one vehicle to another. The highest attendance was Dodington Stately Home in 1977 with over 400 entries. Although the events are known as "car" number rallies, it's not only cars with interesting registrations that make an appearance; a whole host of other types of vehicles with interesting registrations have turned up, including motorcycles, mopeds, vans, lorries and even a double-decker bus! As if the whole carry-on isn't interesting enough, there are always those who claim a rally first for something. In 1986 there was the first person to bring a white Rolls-Royce car ato a rally. In 1984 we had the first lorry and in 1987 we had the youngest entrant with his own car and number (Roger Greig wil ROG 20R - aged 17).