I just love this!
Back in 1976, I bought a stock '54 rag-top with the licence plate "TLF 25". In my hands, this went on to become one of the first Cal Lookers in the UK, with body on a later pan, dual-Weber 1700, lowered etc etc. I sold the car in 1978-ish to a guy who blew up the engine, sold the car to a friend of mine, who then sold it on a year later to another guy... and then I lost track of it. That was about 1979/80 or so.
At a VW show in 1985, I saw the car all redone – I would not have recognised it but for the licence plate, which was well-known and very distinctive. It was no longer "my" car, as it had a maroon paintjob and all-white interior. Yuck! I lost track of the car again for a few years then saw it at a show where it was looking very sad. Again, only the licence plate told me this was my old car. That was about 1987.
Around 1990, I got a phone call out of the blue telling me that the car was still around, now painted blue but had been vandalised and was sitting in a garage. Did I want to buy it back? Not at the price he was talking... The guy then told me he was going to sell the "TLF 25" plates (which you can do in the UK) and he had been told they were worth a lot of money. I begged him not to separate the plates from the car as they were part of its history. Again I lost track of the car...
Last year, I heard the car was still around and still had its licence plates. It came up for sale earlier this year and again I hoped the plates wouldn't be separated from this piece of UK Cal Look history. I couldn't afford (and didn't have the desire) to buy the car back (it's been changed far too much) but the advert hinted that the plates could be sold separately to keep the price of the car down. Well, the car has now sold but the new owner (foolishly in my mind) didn't want the plates. That's like finding Greg Aronson's car and saying that the plates weren't important... OK, my old car isn't so significant, but you get the idea.
To cut a long story short, I have now arranged to buy back my famous licence plates at a price far below what they could achieve at auction and, once again, KS is to be reunited with "TLF 25" after 29 years!!! Cool.
PS – they'll be going on my 1967 Porsche 912 for the moment while my other little project
will have the plates LOW 617
The Cal-look Lounge
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