REPORT – Sydney GR8PL8 show
Words: Mike Ryan and myPlates NSW
Photos: myPlates NSW, courtesy of M+C Partners
Go to any large car show these days and you’ll see plenty of rides rocking personalised number plates, but how about a show where the focus was on those plates? That was the concept behind the recent ‘GR8PL8’ event in Sydney.
Presented by myPlates NSW at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Sunday, 28 June, the GR8PL8 show is believed to be the first of its kind. Vehicles of all types with personalised plates turned out in force for this all-new event, with more than 800 display vehicles and 2,000 spectators. Inclement weather made the undercover parking at Randwick a practical place for this unique automotive event, but the rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those attending.
Super and Standard
GR8PL8 attracted individuals and car clubs from all over New South Wales, with a DJ and live entertainment to keep the vibes high. The day also had food vendors, giveaways and family activities.
While GR8PL8 did see high-end supercars from the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini, enthusiast vehicles like this shared space with everyday sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and utes - all individualised by their plates.
A Personal Story
Along with vehicle identifiers, horsepower brags and business promotions that you’d expect, plates at GR8PL8 told very personal stories, too. In the lead up to the event, nearly 1,000 owners shared the inspiration behind their plates with myPlates, revealing tributes to parents and grandparents, celebrations of children's birth dates, lifelong hobbies, significant milestones and cherished memories.
"People assume personalised plates are about the car, but what we've discovered is they're often about the person behind the wheel," said myPlates CEO David McGrath.
"We've heard incredible stories from customers who use their plates to celebrate family members, remember loved ones or showcase something that's been important to them throughout their lives. Seeing those stories come together in one place was incredibly special."
Individual Expression
Of course, with such personal and individual inspiration, it meant some plates were head scratchers to GR8PL8 spectators, like ‘JETAIM’ (French for ‘I Love You’) that was attached to a late model Toyota Camry. With a six-character limit for car number plates in NSW (five for motorcycles), credit must go to the owner of a Lamborghini who managed to condense that down to ‘LMBGNI’.
Also noteworthy was Penrith local Tony Hawton’s FPV Falcon GT, whose ‘TH 302’ plate was transferred from his classic XB Falcon GT and reflects decades of dedication to Australian motorsport. That dedication includes 43 consecutive Bathurst 1000 attendances, only broken by COVID restrictions in 2020.
Winning Words
One of the day's standout entries was ‘50LTL,’ a Honda Monkey Bike that arrived in the back of a Honda Jazz. This unique pair earned its owner runner-up honours in the ‘Most Stylish Plate’ category. In case you were wondering, the Honda’s plate refers to its 50cc engine and compact (little) size.
A total of $9,500 in prizes was awarded across categories at the show that included Best in Show, Most Creative Plate and Most Stylish Plate, which went to ‘CLOGS’ (2016 Harley-Davidson Softail), ‘OUT RN’ (1988 Ferrari Testarossa) and ‘IN53NE’ (2017 Audi S3), respectively.
A further $2,000 in Content Creator Awards went to those who shared content from the event on their socials, tagging @myPlates and #GR8PL8.
Following the strong response to GR8PL8, myPlates hopes this event will become an annual celebration of the stories, creativity and community behind personalised number plates.
