Anyone Know These Guys? Or Remember Sprite-Midget Owners' Group?

[AngliaGT]

I don't believe personalized plates were available when California was using the black/yellow plates. Do they allow you to make them up that way today? Also, when that Bugeye was new the plate would have been yellow/black, so it's not a YOM plate. ???

Those are Blue/Gold plates in which the Blue was painted Black.
Illegal to do so,I believe.

 

[johntennyson]

Maybe you can make it to the British Car Meet Sunday at Blackhawk in Danville.

Nancy (remember a white MkII back then? She has a Bugeye now) and I are driving our Minis up there.

 

[johntennyson]

I hope the red Sprite is there-- now I gotta know!

 

[Pat MM]

John,
I just read about Danville now, argh!
Some of us are just slow… So, any pics from the show? Was the red Bugeye there?

 

[Pat MM]

Those are Blue/Gold plates in which the Blue was painted Black.
Illegal to do so,I believe.

In 2015 California started a legacy plate program, so you can get brand new black plates with yellow writing, which to me, the black plate on the red Bugeye appears to have on it. They are available as either personalized or just standard letters/numbers sequence.
For some reason, they are very popular, even on newer cars… who woulda thought!

 

[johntennyson]

Yes, and the mystery is solv-ed! The Spridget Contingent:

The red Sprite is Jim Curtice, who was also in SMOG back then. That car was root-beer brown then. It's probably in one of my old Instamatic pictures, but man, are those images small! He remembered Bob and Sheila's car and when he went to get a plate for his, it was available! So it's still in the family, so to speak!

Nancy and I are in MOASF and were there at 0600 helping set up.

Next year's featured car is the Sprite, as it hits Social Security age (aaaargh!), so we'll be there in our Bugeyes -- if you know of any other SMOG folk, let's try to get everyone together then! Jim says Dick Santana is still local, but he's been making the 1940 Ford scene lately. I'll have to get to a Good Guys meet and see if it's so.

Hey, give me ten month's notice and I can (probably) get my car running for it!

 

[Pat MM]

Thanks for the pics. Joe has one of my old projects that he recently got running, a ‘67 Cooper S. It needs paint & interior, but at least it’s on the road again. He’s very active in the Portland Mini club (along with being tour director and webmaster of the Packard club…) as they have a newer mini too.
It’s great to hear Jim Curtice is still around and “inherited” Bob’s great plates, they say it all!
I‘m not sure I’ll have my Bugeye running in 10 months with the Traveller project literally in front of it, and ahead of it in line, and pretty disassembled right now… and work keeps getting in the way!
Is there a firm date for next year yet?

 

[Pat MM]

John,
Nancy M…….. ? I remember her clean white MkII. Her Bugeye looks nice. I have a vague memory of Santana trying to talk her into buying one, but I can’t remember the color… Tell her I said hello.

 

[johntennyson]

Hopefully the blue and green cars will be there on Sunday! I just got mine back on the road with Creative Spridgets' rear disc brake conversion.

 

[johntennyson]

And while I'm at the computer, a couple of more pics from the Wayback Machine:

From the photo-and-funkhana day at College of San Mateo in Spring of '82, I think