California car enthusiasts may get the chance to get vintage-looking
license plates for their car, with the state eyeing a revival of the classic
yellow, black and blue plates issued from the 1950s through the 1980s.
The Department of Motor Vehicles is gauging interest in the plates before going
into production. At least 7,500 motorists must pre-order one of the colors by
January 2015 in order for the plates to come out. If not, the reproduction
plates idea will go back on the shelf for the moment.
As of this month, the black plate, originally issued between 1963 and 1969, was
in the lead with 2,833 orders. The yellow plate, from 1956 to 1963, was second
with 930 and the blue one, between 1970 and 1986, had 690.
Not all car collectors, however, are thrilled with the return of the vintage
plates.
Ken Williamson, president of the Redwood Empire Classic Chevy Club and owner of
13 historic vehicles, says the state is trying to pass off a "counterfeit." He
said this issue came up at a recent club meeting and there was unanimous
disapproval.
"It kind of cheapens the work we've done to to keep the old plates on our cars,"
said Williamson.
The state currently allows car collectors to put vintage plates on classic cars,
but the requirements are rigorous, particularly the "year of manufacture" rule
that says the year of the plates must match the year of the car: no '57 plates
on a '56 Chevy, for example.
Williamson said it took him three years to convince the Department of Motor
Vehicles to reactivate the plates on a 1951 Nash that he is restoring.
"It's really hard," he said. "The DMV, you really have to work with them to get
these plates on your car."
Assuming enough people sign up by the deadline, the new plates would be open to
any car of any age, not just vintage cars like those collected by Williamson and
his club members. The plates would cost $50 the first year and $40 every year
thereafter.
While Sonoma County collectors seem unenthusiastic, many car clubs are actively
soliciting the preorders, said Rex Roden, president of the Association of
California Car Clubs. The association, with 160 member clubs representing more
than 10,000 car owners, strongly supported the 2012 bill that authorized the
reproductions.
Roden, from El Dorado, has five cars including a 1962 Impala with vintage
plates. He disagrees with critics who say the reproduction plates dilute the
value of the original plates.
Serious restorers and collectors can still opt to hunt down authentic vintage
plates, while others will have the option of the new reproductions, the same way
car collectors can choose between reproduction and vintage parts.
"A lot of guys will find the real part, a real bumper, a real fender, and
they'll put that on rather than the fiberglass; just keeping it pure," he said.
"It's the same with license plates."
A big market for the new plates, he said, is likely to be purchasers of modern
cars designed to look vintage: the updated VW Beetle, or the reissued Camaros
and Chargers.
Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, a former car collector who sponsored the
legislation authorizing the reissue, said last week that he was surprised to
hear some collectors disliked the idea. He said his intent was to make life
easier for collectors, not to undermine their work.
"Car collectors feel, pretty rightfully, that the state just imposes a bunch of
Byzantine regulations and makes life difficult for the people who preserve the
automotive history of our state," he said.
He said the DMV had assured him the new plates would be nearly indistinguishable
from the originals, with the exception of reflective paint on the letters and
numbers to meet modern safety standards. The DMV still has the original molds on
file, he said.
However, the exact design remains in development, DMV spokeswoman Jessica
Gonzalez said.
"We will try to preserve that original look as much as possible," she said.
The rage for vintage license plates stems from a technical change in California
law in 1962. Previously, car owners got new plates every year, but that year,
the Legislature allowed the owners to keep a plate for the life of the car. That
allowed vehicle owners to keep classic looks as the DMV changed color schemes to
meet newer styles, making it a badge of honor for collectors to display the old
plates.
The state later changed the rule to allow old plates to be moved from car to
car, opening up a private trade in plates. But since the year of the plates and
the car must match exactly, it can be difficult and expensive for a collector to
find the proper plates at swap meets and in online auctions.
On eBay this week, mint-condition sets of the 1960s-era black plates were going
for as much as $999, though good-condition used versions could be had for half
that or less.
Santa Rosa car collector Jim Brown dismisses the idea of reproduction plates as
a money-making stunt for the state. Brown compared the reproduction plates to
having someone show up at a classic-car show driving the retro-looking but
decidedly modern PT Cruiser.
"It just seems like kind of a perversion," he said.
For information or to preorder one of the retro plates, visit
www.dmv.ca.gov/legacyplates.
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(c)2013 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
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