Query on car year

[abstibus]

I saw a rather strange car today, reg no P XXX LLL.
Can anyone tell me what what year this is and where it is/was registered.
I am just curious, as I have never seen a car like it!

[SOTERIOS]

1996 from August 1st or 1997 up to 31st July. LLL sugests it is a private reg

[boxtops]

It looks like a personalised numberplate to me, which doesn't bear any relaton to a year of registration. Did it spell a word, with the numbers?

[bednobs]

it was probbaly a private plate, so there is no way of telling

[boxtops]

On the other hand - it could be 1996-7 - see here, before the new system started. http://www.cableforum...-p-reg-what-year.html

[grasscarp]

It would be 1996. I assume you put xxx where the numbers are so as not to identify an actual vehicle.

[SOTERIOS]

P as before will be 1996/97 the number have no meaning, the last two letter LL are North West London.

[R1Geezer]

If it is PXXX LLL then XXX need to be numbers or it's not valid, are XXX number? it's from 1996-7

[abstibus]

Thank you all for your very quick answers.
The reason I noted it was that I had just crossed at a double T-junction (what I call a 'dog leg) when this car came past; it seemed to come from nowhere. It hurtled past the car in front of me, pouring black smelly smoke from the exhaust, over the diagonal while lines and accellerated at speed.
Some time later I came across it the same country road where it was chugging along, and there seemed to be some kind of barrier (like in a taxi) between the driver and the one passenger in the back seat.
There was also some kind of yellow notice on the back bumper with 3 numbers on it (different from the reg number).
I did not recognise the make of the car, but the whole thing seemed very odd indeed.
Sorry if this is not very coherent. I had all kinds of scenarios in my head!

[abstibus]

Apologies for mis-spelling 'accelerated'.