Sonauto expert needed

[davep]

Steve, I have 5 photos of the "BS AU 48" from 1968, 69, 70 & 71. I cannot be sure if these were cars brought into the UK in later years and had to have the tag added then.
But one, 119300816 owned by Clyde Boyer in Australia was a RHD PCGB delivery.

[911MRP]

Thanks Dave. Appreciate the reply. Noticed the picture you posted shows a car with the (drainage?) slots in the front slam panel so maybe it had work to replace it because that revised panel with slots was introduced during the 1973 model year. Also heard that for a while the slotted front slam panels were the only version available as replacement in repair network. Might this suggest the car in photo has had a replacement slam panel at some point in its life from 73 on; in which case the aluminium plates might not be representative of it as new? Not knocking the car and maybe these were the original plates. I don’t know — just reading the “footprints in the sand” which might cast doubt on it as exemplar. Maybe I’m wrong and that is the correct slam panel for car of that year on vin and so answered the question? I focus on 72/3; I’m sure folks more expert than me on older cars might chime in.


Cheers

Steve

[davep]

Good lord, what are you doing up at this time of the morning Steve? The other 69, a South African delivery does not have the slots, but the 68 also has the slots. I am sure some of the other owners would answer questions. Graham Duplock in UK has the 68, and pgxif in Australia has the other 69.

[911MRP]

Thanks again Dave. While I am confident based on my own observation of many 911 that the BSAU plate appeared roughly coincident with the model year 72 introduction here in U.K. I think the jury is still out on if ( when) it appeared before that year in U.K. (and maybe some commonwealth countries that piggybacked on U.K. regulations) until enough evidence appears. Not saying it didn’t; just not yet proven. The U.K. only entered the common market 1 January 1973 so standards were not harmonised.

Steve

[911T1971]

Safety belts were commonly mounted by dealers or importers. Some in Switzerland, for example, were VW dealers too so any Porsche often had same belts as any VW, at least in the early stage of safety regulations, early to late 60ies. Nevertheless the factory offered seat belts mounted too..it depended probably on the importer/market structure for each country.

However, i beleive importer tags were an importer thing and did not interfere with factory settings, at least in Switzerland the amag tag was not mandatory to do on a car, it probably was just an internal number system for id warranty and tracking.
As for Sonauto, did any imported car (US, japan) and any brand needed to have a (metal) tag?
I believe it rather was an Importer’s tool, mounting it or not.