Bugeye birthday present

[mrsprite]

As an early birthday present for my Bugeye (she'll be 51 this summer), I bought a pair of genuine 1959 Colorado license plates today. These things are brand spanking new, never been used plates!

In Colorado there is a 'year of manufacture' regulation on the books which means I can legally register my Bugeye using these plates. It'll be considered a secondary registration, so I will have two sets of plates....new issue and these old ones. I can mount the old ones permanently as long as I keep the new ones inside the car at all times.

Pretty cool!


I can't wait to go to the DMV on Monday!!

 

[mightymidget]

are the tag numbers the same for the old and new?

 

[mrsprite]

Nope. Colorado has changed the numbering system several times since the 50's.....heck, they've changed it 3 or 4 times in the past 20 years alone! Current plates use three numbers and three letters (ex. 123-XYZ), so no chance of getting the same numbers unless I pay for personalized plates and even then I don't think they can be the same as the old ones.


I wish mine were a '58.....the '58 plates were a one-year wonder and they look cooler than any other Colorado plate made (IMHO).

 

[drooartz]

Very cool. Utah allows year-of-manufacture plates as well. I've been tempted.

Neat that you found NOS plates. In the original package and everything.

 

[bthompson]

NC allows them too. Next year Nigel's eligible (he's a youngster!) and I can't wait to get him a set of YOM plates!

 

[mrsprite]

Very cool. Utah allows year-of-manufacture plates as well. I've been tempted.

Neat that you found NOS plates. In the original package and everything.

You should do it! I'll keep my eyes open for a nice set of '59 Utah plates.


The guy I bought them from lives about 15 miles from me and has been collecting license plates for the past 30 years. Evidently he cleaned out someone of their NOS plates back then....mine wasn't the only set he had. I can see if he has any Utah stuff.

NC allows them too. Next year Nigel's eligible (he's a youngster!) and I can't wait to get him a set of YOM plates!

Cool! Did NC have a commemorative bicentennial plate for 1976?

 

[drooartz]

You should do it! I'll keep my eyes open for a nice set of '59 Utah plates.

I've thought about it (I'd actually need 1960 plates unless I could get the title changed to the year it was built), but I'm running special plates already that are appropriate.

 

[DrEntropy]

I love th' photo, Drew!!

 

[bugimike]

Very Cool!! :thumbsup:

 

[drooartz]

A picture of happier days when I had a running car...

Soon, though, very soon.

 

[booley]

Those are real nice! NY allows them too, I bought a couple sets on ebay. Haven't decided wich ones to use yet, car is still offroad...

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Technically, KY allows you to run reproduced vintage plates https://www.licenseplates.tv/

 

[bthompson]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Did NC have a commemorative bicentennial plate for 1976? [/QUOTE]Well...kinda. It's an interesting story. NC jumped the gun on 1976 a little, by issuing <span style="font-style: italic">their</span> bicentennial plates in 1975. Mecklenberg County (where Charlotte is) had <span style="font-style: italic">already </span>declared its independance from Britain on May 20, 1775, with the Mecklenberg Declaration. (That date is also on the state flag.) They put the legend "First in Freedom" on their '75 plates. Although technically accurate, it was almost universally misunderstood by everyone except history majors, and caused civil-liberty types to spew their coffee whenever they saw it. The '75 tag was used with sticker updates until 1978, so technically passenger cars didn't have a dedicated '76 plate.

The odd tags (antique, radio, truck, taxi, commercial, etc.) were stamped year by year, though, so I might try to run one of those with 1976 actually on it.

Then I just need a bicentennial bumper sticker :laugh:

 

[Gundy]

Very nice. I'm a fan of neat plates. Cool. :cooler:

 

[Silverghost]

In Illinois, if you get historic registration, you can use period correct plates. Our Mini still wears it's Brit registration plates because of this. The historic tags are under the seat.

 

[mrsprite]

In Illinois, if you get historic registration, you can use period correct plates. Our Mini still wears it's Brit registration plates because of this. The historic tags are under the seat.

Do you get pulled over a lot by the police checking up on your registration? That's my only real concern with using the '59 plates....I'm afraid some bored cops will keep pulling me over for expired plates (especially when I drive out of state).

Are your British plates the originals to your car?? If so, that's pretty cool indeed!

 

[RickB]

In WA you can use the old plates and your registration shows the plate as the registered plate. No tabs needed. You pay for lifetime registration then never worry about it again. My MK2 Sprite has this and police have never looked at me (ok - my car really) with anything other than admiration...

 

[nomad]

South Dakota allows about anything if you want to pay for it. Had british plates for my TC but did'nt pay the price. I'm a resident of So Dak but my mailing address is across the border in Ia. I've had some confused license checks over that one. Can usually tell by how long its taking.
KA.

 

[Silverghost]

In Illinois, if you get historic registration, you can use period correct plates. Our Mini still wears it's Brit registration plates because of this. The historic tags are under the seat.

Do you get pulled over a lot by the police checking up on your registration? That's my only real concern with using the '59 plates....I'm afraid some bored cops will keep pulling me over for expired plates (especially when I drive out of state).

Are your British plates the originals to your car?? If so, that's pretty cool indeed!

Yep, the plates are the originals....with matching MoT tickets in the holder on the windshield. I get pulled over - rarely because they want to see the car..... only once or twice was I asked about the plates....easy to show the vintage registration - alon with a copy of the rule that allows the use of the originals....just in case

 

[AngliaGT]

You should do it! I'll keep my eyes open for a nice set of '59 Utah plates.

I've thought about it (I'd actually need 1960 plates unless I could get the title changed to the year it was built), but I'm running special plates already that are appropriate.

Drew,

Do those plates let you park legaly in a Red zone?

- Doug