Art Kelly wrote asking about an additional plate in the engine compartment
marked "STCxx" (xx for a year ie.66 for 1966).
In California the plates were added by the dealer. They did this as when they
sold the cars they were licensed as the model year that the car was sold to
the consumer not the year that the car was built. Thus my TR4 that was built
in Nov 1964 had STC 66 in the engine compartment. This way the dealers got to
sell their old inventory as brand new cars. In my case the fact that the car
was "Offically" a 1966 model ment that the PO's had to fight with the Smog
Check people as the car did not have the required smog equipment and it could
not be purchased any more. I used a BMHT certificate to prove the actual year
of the car to solve this problem.
The "STC" stands for Standard Triumph Company and the number indicates the
year that the car was sold. The STCxx was added to the end of the Commision
number to create the V.I.N. number and as such showed up on all the official
paperwork.
The practice of licensing the cars to the year they were sold was not unique
to California. My first TR4 was regestered as a 1964 though the commision
number was CT1323 L O. When I bought the car from the original owner he told
me that they did the same think in Chicago when he bought the car.
By the way in California any car built after Sept. 1 is considered the next
model year thus my Nov. 1964 built TR4 is a 1965 car.
|