White HA Viva OGJ 359

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Discussion

164 coupe

Original Poster:

83 posts

130 months

Friday 11th August 2023
quotequote all
I am looking for the whereabouts of this car. I am a previous owner and sold it in approx 1981 to a girl who worked as a welder in Kishorn rig yard.
I have checked DVLA site and it has been untaxed since 1982 and had a logbook change in August 1996.

Escort3500

12,329 posts

152 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
At the risk of asking the obvious, have you tried the owners’ club?

Good luck with your search.

164 coupe

Original Poster:

83 posts

130 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
quotequote all
Thank you. Yes, have enquired there too.

Escort3500

12,329 posts

152 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
quotequote all
164 coupe said:
Thank you. Yes, have enquired there too.
beer

moffspeed

2,901 posts

214 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
quotequote all
Interesting.

The HA Viva was introduced in September '63, by this time the conventional ABC 123 / 123 ABC reg plates had run out of options/combinations and the "A" suffix was introduced in February '63.

Maybe your reg was transferred off another car - alternatively some regions were apparently slow off the mark and still had a few of the old style combos. to dish out.

TarquinMX5

2,064 posts

87 months

Sunday 20th August 2023
quotequote all
A 4200cc HA Viva? Sounds interesting.

Hawkshaw

172 posts

42 months

Sunday 20th August 2023
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OGJ was a London issue starting in July 1953, so must have been transferred from another vehicle.

SS2.

14,519 posts

245 months

Sunday 20th August 2023
quotequote all
Looks like it was 'rodded.



From here, apparently.

finlo

3,840 posts

210 months

Sunday 20th August 2023
quotequote all
SS2. said:
Looks like it was 'rodded.



From here, apparently.
By Carlos Fandango!

164 coupe

Original Poster:

83 posts

130 months

Monday 21st August 2023
quotequote all
SS2. said:
Looks like it was 'rodded.



From here, apparently.
It certainly was rodded!
SS2, can I ask where you found that pic?

Thanks

SS2.

14,519 posts

245 months

Monday 21st August 2023
quotequote all
It was originally from the Vauxhall Viva thread on the Rods & Sods forum, but I think the photo may have since be taken down.

Forum link: click here.

Tinky

9 posts

213 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
There are quite a few photos of that HA Viva on the Rods”N”Sods thread, one with a different registration on it too

It might be worth putting a post up on the Western Isles Classic Car Club Facebook page as Kishorn is in their locale so to speak. If nothing else, you might get some leads on where it may have ended up.

Edited by Tinky on Tuesday 22 August 19:11

164 coupe

Original Poster:

83 posts

130 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Thanks for all leads and clues. I will follow them all up.

iDrive

429 posts

120 months

Thursday 24th August 2023
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moffspeed said:
Interesting.

The HA Viva was introduced in September '63, by this time the conventional ABC 123 / 123 ABC reg plates had run out of options/combinations and the "A" suffix was introduced in February '63.

Maybe your reg was transferred off another car - alternatively some regions were apparently slow off the mark and still had a few of the old style combos. to dish out.
A Suffix was intended to only be used by London DVLC Offices and though I understand some other regions may have issued A suffix plates, the majority remained with 123ABC / ABC123 format or similar "dateless" registration until 1964 B suffix.

Suffix's were issued aligned to the calendar year from 1963/4 to January 1967, when E suffix were only issued January to July, with August 1st becoming the new suffix identifier change, broadly meaning fewer cars were registered with an A or E suffix.

To mildly complicate things, for a long period if a car with a dateless registration had it transferred off, DVLC would issue an A suffix plate, sometimes with the Registration Document marked as "Non Transferable". Many pre-1963 vehicles can be found with (non original) A suffix plates.

To further complicate things, the local/regional Offices were often inconsistent with their issuing of plates - there having been many imported cars wearing a plate relevant to the date of import rather than the date of manufacture (or rather first use on the road) - apparently due to the guidance referring to the "date of first registration" and staff taking that as being the date of first registration in the UK rather than in the originating country.

TarquinMX5

2,064 posts

87 months

Friday 25th August 2023
quotequote all
The above is basically correct and several (numerous?) licensing offices issued A-suffixes in 1963, whereas many others were still issuing non-suffix regns. in 1964 (I have one), however, I think I'm correct in saying that all offices were issuing suffixes from 1965, so C-regn.

Vehicles were still often issued with 'then-current' registration suffixes, when first registered in the UK (ie ex-military, imports etc.) until the early 1980s, posssibly '82 or '84, when they started issuing regns. relevant to the vehicle's age.

Edited by TarquinMX5 on Friday 25th August 20:12