Number Plates News

No Plate for Steve Jobs

26 October 2011

The late Steve Jobs, chairman of Apple Inc., was renowned for his business innovation and lateral thinking. He appears also to have employed these skills to novel effect in maintaining a maverick approach to his personal style.

It had long been observed that the charismatic Californian didn't appear to subscribe to the concept of number plates. It was always assumed that this was some sort of snub to authority which he could well afford to finance in fines whenever confronted by the police regarding the matter.

Alternatively, it was suggested that he had been granted some sort of dispensation to allow him legally to avoid the normal requirements of the road traffic statutes, even though this might have been somewhat out of step with the 'common touch' fostered by the Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

The truth is, however, far simpler and more in keeping with the ethic of the 'think different' campaign once adopted by the Apple organisation to describe their commercial foundation.

Mr Jobs had discovered that, under Californian vehicle licensing laws, the owner of a brand new car was allowed up to six months to actually display the registration issued in respect of the vehicle.

So, by simply leasing a brand new Mercedes SL55 AMG on a short-term contract and exchanging it for an identical one just before expiry, Steve was able to maintain his popularly conceived contemptuous image.

Presumably the leasing company were more than happy to indulge Mr Jobs since they would have been provided with a succession of nearly new luxury cars, each holding considerable provenance, to sell on to eager customers.