The Motoring Experience

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For Ralph Parish, the fascination with number plates started a good few years ago when, as a young 17 year old, he had just passed his driving test.

This was a time when private number plates were a dream and something to which only the very wealthy (or very lucky) could possibly ever aspire.As we know, times have changed and nowadays owning your own number plate has never been easier or more affordable.

Around the middle of 1996, Ralph started to search for a personalised number plate. “Ideally I would have liked R4 LPH,” he says, ”but, I knew in my heart of hearts it was unlikely to become available. “Even if it had been for sale, it would have been astronomically expensive.”

Then, in August 1997, the unbelievable happened and he spotted R4 LFH for sale privately in a well known Sunday broadsheet.

“This was just too close to my ideal number to miss,” he enthuses, “so I made an offer and the rest, as they say is history.”

As you can see from the photo, Ralph currently drives a Land Rover Freelander 2 HSE. “In my opinion, the Freelander 2 is a stunningly good vehicle of which Land Rover can be justly proud.

“Would I sell my number plate? Extremely unlikely. Certainly not in the foreseeable future. Sounds crazy I know but I’m just too attached now, it’s become part of my motoring experience. A vehicle only becomes really mine when my personal plates are attached!

“Would I recommend buying a personal number plate? Absolutely, but you have to be careful. Take your time and know what you want.  Keep looking and, sooner or later, you will find that perfect number plate that’s right for you."