New 'Facts Disc' shares classic car information digitally

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New 'Facts Disc' shares classic car information digitally

To show that modern technology can work hand-in-hand with vintage, and, as in this case, perhaps even enhance it, comes this clever idea for classic cars that reintroduces a small, forgotten aspect of motoring - the tax disc.

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Phased out in 2014 with the advent of automatic number-plate recognition and automated databases, the tax disc had existed for over 90 years as legal and tangible proof that car owners in the UK had paid their Road Fund Licence (or more properly Vehicle Excise Duty) for a period of 6 or 12 months.  First introduced in January 1921 as part of the Roads Act 1920, the tax disc evolved over the decades to become ever more sophisticated to combat counterfeiting, but always contained the core information about the vehicle it was displayed on (on the nearside of the front windscreen, or in a special holder in the case of motorcycles) - namely the make and registration number, plus details of the amount paid, expiry date, issuing authority and later a barcode containing all such information and more.

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Since their discontinuation in October 2014, following the introduction of a centralised online database, the windscreens of cars up and down the country have seemed all the barer for the loss of this little circular piece of paper (and the government's coffers upwards of £100m per year emptier with road tax evasion reportedly trebling as a result - proof again that maybe modern technology isn't always the best answer to everything and perhaps reason enough to reintroduce the humble tax disc to all cars again... Sorry, rant over.)

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Car facts disc – a new take on the tax disc

Nowhere is this loss more marked than in the classic car world, however, where the denuded windscreen looks even more out of place - so much so, in fact, that many classic car owners in my experience have kept back or otherwise recreated period tax discs so that they may display them correctly (and did you know that collecting tax discs is a recognised hobby with its own name - velology).  Now a fellow motoring enthusiast has come up with a wizard idea that kills two birds with one stone, not only providing a suitably vintage-looking tax disc-like device to display in the time-honoured place but one that also incorporates modern technology in the form of the now-ubiquitous QR code (nowadays found on pretty much everything from clothes labels to bus stops, it seems) that allows the owner to upload information on the car to an online portal, which can be accessed by and downloaded to any interested party's smartphone.  This can include everything from the car's history, restoration story, right down to whether the car is for sale or available to hire - with pictures, video, the works.

The claim is that this innovation will benefit classic car owners and fans alike by allowing the former to quickly and easily upload all the vehicle's details to one place, so keeping its provenance centralised, while giving the latter easier access to information on the car's history that might not otherwise be obviously available.  Anything that inspires owners to display their pride and joy more regularly and in greater detail or encourages new generations to take an interest in the history of motor cars is to be applauded, although one hopes that this doesn't spell the end for the still welcome display board and badge bar, nor of interesting and enjoyable chats with the owner.  Knowing classic car buffs as I do, however, I foresee this new app working in collaboration with the more traditional display elements and I certainly expect to see a few of these jolly nice-looking Car Facts Discs in evidence when I next visit a vintage car rally.