Every car enthusiast warms to the presence of one acronym in particular: GT, acronym for Gran Turismo. These two little letters have characterized some of the sportiest and most exciting creations in history, and there are many examples. There Ford GT who won Le Mans, the Porsche 911 GT3 which represents the maximum expression of the track supercar, or the most recent Mercedes-AMG GT. These were just some of the cars that can bear the GT name. In Italy it is not possible, as in other parts of the world, to personalize the license plate which instead follows alphabetical order. This solution was inaugurated in 1994 and after thirty years we have reached the fateful moment, that of “GT“.
Plaque for a lucky few
The question of the availability of license plates that they start with GT has a rather bitter epilogue for all the fans who desired it so ardently. In fact, with just 484,000 license plates available, considering the current pace of sales of cars to be registered in Italy, the estimate suggests that they could be sold out in approximately 4 months. The first month in which cars with the GT plate were registered was March, and already during this month of April GV plates are seen circulating, since the GU sequence cannot be used. Therefore, only a select few will be able to publicly boast of the GT nameplate.
Personalization of license plates
In 2010 a reform of the Highway Code opened the door to the possibility of requesting a specific alphanumeric combination for new license plates of registered vehicles. This is what article 100 paragraph 8 says: “Without prejudice to the alphanumeric sequence established by the regulation, the holder of the registration certificate may request, for the plates referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, the costs established with the decree referred to in article 101, paragraph 1, and with the methods established by the Department of Land Transport, a specific alphanumeric combination“.
However, due to shortcomings in the implementing decree, everything is still uncertain and unconfirmed. Although a car with the GT badge may have some appeal among enthusiasts, on the used market There is no guarantee of an increase in value. The association of letters does not affect the selling price, unless it concerns special cases. For example, in Dubai license plates are associated with the person rather than the vehicle and can fetch stratospheric sums at auctions. But that’s not our case.
Historical plaques
Meanwhile, in Italy the decree approving the issuing of historical plaques for all those vehicles from the past which in this way will no longer have to deal with the (horrible) modern license plates. The legendary black plates, with the province in the first instance, will be able to return to equipping cars over thirty, to the delight of enthusiasts and collectors. In this case, the value of a car with a license plate from the past it may cost a little more, given the same equipment, age and condition, than another one with a modern license plate. This maneuver approved during 2024 gave a big boost and a big hand to the entire world of collecting, who longed for the idea of finally being able to apply the historical plate to their model.
