Black plates – 20 years after the last one was handed.

A post for anoraks in the middle of the pandemic. Barely anybody remembers 20 years ago new black-on-white number plates began to gradually replace the classic white-on-black ones which had been issued since 1976.

I have decided to mark the anniversary by snapping some vehicles which still carry the old plates and which have not changed hands for at least 20 years. Over the last two weeks I wandered and cycled around Ursynów and took photos of more than 50 such vehicles. Since a gallery of so many cars would be tedious, I have decided to confine it to cars registered in Ursynów and picked 25 best-maintained cars. Given that I have snapped them all in open-air car parks, the cars look good despite being exposed to the elements of weather probably over their entire lifetime.

Before we set out, a quick look at rules at which plates were handed out in the district of Ursynów before 1 May 2000. D stands for digit, L stands for letter.

WZZ DDDD – in 1995 and 1996

WZU DDDD – in 1996 and 1997

WZS 0DDD – 8DDD – between 1997 and June 1998

WZT DDDD – from June 1998 to April 1999

WZS 9DDD – from April 1999 to May 1999

WZZ DDDL – from May 1999 to April 2000, the last number plates being WZZ 795L or WZZ 796L.

The order of photos is hence chronological.

#1 – Skoda Felicia, registered in early 1996, quite probably belonging to a local pensioner for trips to his summer allotment. Bodywork of the car kept up in excellent condition.

#2 – Opel Astra, most probably registered in the first half of 1996. I peeked at the car’s odometer which showed just under 100,000 kilometres. The car has a quite desirable in that time 1.4-litre, 16-valve 90 hp engine. Note original mudflaps.

#3 – Nissan Almera, also from 1996, probably one of first Almeras registered in Poland. Back in those days, number of cars imported was capped by non-tariff quotas. My parents’ friends bought Nissan Almera sedan in the same colour in April 1997 and got rid of it in mid-2015. The car was extremely reliable for a long time and it took 18 years before repairs began to be too frequent.

#4 – Seat Toledo, also registered in 1996, just like Felicia snapped through a fence of a guarded car park. The car is also in pristine condition, including the paintwork, which is of note, since red lacquer is sensitive to sunlight and tends to fade is exposed to it for long time.

#5 – Seat Cordoba, here we move to second half of 1996. The car is not that perfectly maintained and somewhat dirty; its mudguards are replaced by plastic which means corrosion has wreaked havoc to the body.

#6 – Nissan Primera, basic version (black bumpers) from late 1996 or early 1997, yet with red lacquer holding up well. Grass growing around suggests the car is sparingly driven, yet it does not look neglected.

#7 – Fiat Siena, which in mid-1997 was rolled out as a cheap family car. Its basic version’s asking price was just below 30,000 PLN, which made it an affordable car for several households. This perfectly maintained one was probably purchased as one of first ones to have leave showrooms.

#8 – Toyota Starlet, a small Japanese car, for years at the top of reliability rankings. I know a person who bought one brand-new in 1993 and sold it in 2015, just because of rust eating it up. Susceptibility to corrosion was the only soft spot of Toyota Scarlet. Mechanic-wise, a perfectly reliable vehicle.

#9 – Opel Corsa, with two leaflets under windscreen wipers. The leaflets suggest the car has not been driven for a few days. It also is parked underneath a tree which at this season of the year adds exposure to elements of the weather.

#10 – Peugeot 306, the number suggests in could have been registered in 1998, unlike previous cars which had their plates given out in 1997. The car has mudflaps, door buffers and roof rack, which increase its market value.

#11 – Seat Ibiza, the third Seat snapped, suggesting the Spanish brand of Volkswagen did quite long-lasting vehicles. On over 50 photos taken, there was no Volkswagen, nor Audi.

#12 – Skoda Octavia. Here we move to WZT plates, where it is possible to estimate the registration date, which for this car was July 1998. The bodywork shows signs of exposure to sunshine and rain.

#13 – Fiat Seicento, one of three in the top25. This model premiered in March 1998, while the very car was registered some 4 months later.

#14 – Opel Astra, whose second generation premiered in 1998, this particular car, in dark-green was probably registered in August 1998.

#15 – Peugeot 406, registered in December 1998. The car makes an impression of having a track record of several trips around Europe, but remains in perfect condition. I did not look at the odometer, however I could bet it might have the largest mileage of all cars presented here.

#16 – Fiat Seicento, registered in January 1999. Note the steering wheel blockade, which at that time was one of the most popular anti-theft tools. Most probably the car belongs to a pensioner.

#17 – Fiat Palio Weekend, with number on the plate higher by merely 11 than the previous car. The vehicle is the estate version of Fiat Siena, in late 1990s the most affordable estate car in Poland.

#18 – Fiat Seicento, for the third time, also registered in January 1999. The car is marked to be driven by a disabled person and is parked one a lot reserved for such ones. Nevertheless, in mint condition.

#19 – Nissan Primera, a post-lift version vs. #6, in classic orange-brown colour, registered in February 1999. The bonus is a Citroen lorry visible to the right.

#20 – Opel Astra, registered in June 1999, one more time, also in eye-pleasing dark-green colour.

#21 – Daewoo Lanos, registered in July 1999. The car, along with Fiat Siena, was rolled out as a cheap compact vehicle. The version here is a post-life one, produced in Daewoo’s factory in Żerań, Warsaw. The carmaker went bust in 2001.

#22 – Daewoo Matiz, registered in October 1999. The model was a successor of Tico, yet remained quite cheap and gained popularity. This particular vehicle is not eaten up by rust, which was a plague with that model.

#23 – Polonez Caro, registered most probably in March 2000. The only car I am sure was not registered brand new, as this very model gave way to Polonez Caro Plus in 1996. Except for the damaged hubcap, the car looks like it has driven out of showroom.

#24 – Toyota Corolla, just after a lift, registered in March or April 2000. The car’s white bodywork holds up well, just as black plastic elements do. Somebody must be looking after it.

#25 – Renault Kangoo, registered in April 2000, so turning 20 without changing hands and still looking good.

Those who have taken fancy, may see many, many more black plates on Czarna Warszawa Facebook page.

I will try to repeat the exercise in 5 years, however I believe I will find very, very few well-maintained cars of black plates.