Just to let you all know, as I have spoken to a few of you about me running the Jap plates on my RX-7 and would hate for anyone else to have the same problems because of me :(

Background bit:
I bought my import last December, it had just been imported into the country and was still waiting for the return of the V5 from the DVLA with its UK reg info. Checked with the importer that it would be OK to drive it on its Jap plates, and that I could do so for up to 12 months as long as the car was registered within 31 days of its UK arrival. Since day one I have been driving around the UK on the Jap plates.

Fast forward to present day:
Was in Inverness last weekend (never have I seen so many police cars, don't know what is going on up there) and drove past the traffic police in their marked Volvo. They were travelling in the opposite direction, but I had one of those feelings where I just knew they were going to follow me. Figuring I had best get it out of the way (as I was staying up there for a week, so would no doubt see them again) while I had nothing better to do I did a full circuit of the roundabout at the end of the road. Sure enough there they were, so I pulled off onto the A9 knowing there is a parking place a mile along. Nip up to the limit past a few cars and pull into the inside lane; creeping along at 65mph watching the Volvo charge through the traffic, pulls in right behind me and switches the lights on about 50yards before the parking bit.

Pull in, ask about the plates and I explain as above, 'that can't be right, yadda, yadda, speed cameras, blah, blah, blah'. Gave me a producer and said they'd check it out and get back to me. On the Tuesday I get a phone call asking if they could pop around and explain things. In summary it seems that as soon as I got my V5 back I should have put the UK reg on the car, and that I could only have got away with running the import plates if I was a foreign national who had brought my car over to the UK. A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal regarding me displaying the incorrect plates on my car. Hopefully nothing will come of it, but now means I've got a couple of months waiting to see what happens.

The officers were fair enough, no hassle or anything, just a pain in the rear that they couldn't have just let me off.

Not such good news Robbie :(

Still, running about with Jap plates a la Cannonball Run was fun while it lasted and must have caused a fair few double takes the length and breadth of the UK ;)