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That TENS Moment
Forget about Big Ben and the Fireworks on the Sydney Harbour bridge. Every red-blooded, competitive lad or ladette knows that the decade really begins when the first “10” registration sports car appears on the Golf Club car park on March the first! After the glorious failure to thrust the “00” plate into the new millennium (we still had “W”, “X” and Y” to go!), this is the first time that the motor industry will see its flagship day drag us out of the Big Freeze and into the “Tens” or “Teenies”.
The writing was on the wall on December 1st when the DVLA quietly advertised the new plate. Gilt-edged matches such as MA10 NEY (Maloney) were withheld for auction at a later date. However, the office was besieged by the public producing engaged tones, long delays and a record-breaking day for receipts. Two million pounds flowed into the public coffers for very little effort. Everybody wins.
So why the big fuss? Well, apart from it being a new decade and “different”, opportunities to quietly “get noticed” had never been greater. Forget an exact match was the message! The likes of RO10 NEY, UN10 TED and DR10 GBA flew off the shelves for the big spenders of sport whilst the likes of BR10 KER and PA10 OFF mocked the credit crunch! On a more general note, SP10 RTY appeared for that new BMW and AM10 RAL for the Jaguars of lawyers and estate agents!
And where can we see these fine examples of artwork for the new decade? Motoring Sections are finally realising that sites such as www.ASK-REG.com display these peacocks in all their glory without having to resort to the magnifying glass of former years!”
Sadly, the rules of display dictate that the more imaginative AM10 KAY (Am I OK?), AM10 PEN (Am I Open?) and MY10 NLY (My One and Only) will have to wait for more liberal times to be fully appreciated at first glance. However, a splinter movement, founded by addicts of the cryptic crossword and, yes, CatchPhrase, are among the bargains of the day. Less than ten years ago, sporting icons AR53 NAL and V1 LLA both commanded £30,000 plus at auction. Today, TO10 HAM (Tottenham) could go for much less and be just as recognisable.
Indeed, the “Say what you See” approach has yet to be fully exploited. The cheeky WA10 SEE (Wait ‘n See) and OF10 WKD (Often Wicked!) have been spotted and are already on view but the rich vaults of the DVLA still offer opportunities for those with a little imagination and patience. A whole culture of distinctive “His and Hers” plates such as PE10 SUE (Pete ‘n Sue) and PA10 ROB (Pat ‘n ROB) are also up for grabs.
This, then, is the key to owning a plate with a message, rather than your own initials (yawn – what happens when you get married and perhaps change your name?). Today, it’s the finishing touch for your shiny, new car whilst you enjoy it. However, when and if you fancy a change, commercial sites offer a ready market for your existing plate while you pick a new one. Remember, apart from your phone number, it’s the only thing these days that can be described as genuinely unique!
Welcome to the “TENS” generation! Get on board.
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