One of 007Forever`s visitors asked the question about the license plate so we put it out to our Newslektor subscribers to see if they could provide an answer. The general consensus from the Aston Martin experts that responded was that it was a legal reason that kept the producers from using the original license plate number.

Lydia said: “The car is supposed to be the same but they couldn`t use the plate number BMT 216A because of legal reasons.”

Rae Stewart concurs:”The explanation I remember being given for the change of number plate in Goldeneye was that the producers couldn`t use the original for legal reasons.”

DunphBoy007 and Tom Chappell seem to be on the right track, but are off slightly on the details.

DunphBoy007 writes: The “real” reason was that a private collector had bought the original Aston Martin used in Goldfinger, and it was in a private collection, so the producers decided to use a `similar` number plate.

Tom Chappell goes further: “Due to British laws a registration number may only be issued once, in the intervening years between Thunderball and Goldeneye the car may well have been lost or destroyed so the number could not be used, either that or someone made a pretty big goof up in production.”

I think Stuart Basinger gets is correct when he writes: “The licence plate BMT 216A was registered by the owner of the Aston Martin and could not be seen in the film since it is legally a registered licence plate. Even the owner was upset they could not use the plate. They chose to deviate the 6 into a 4.”

DunphBoy007 was right: it was part of a private collection. Tom Chappell was also right: British registration law was at the root of the problem. And Stuart Basinger correctly describes the producers remedy. So there you have it! Now you know what Bond switches license plates.