Busted by CHP (sort of) - no front plate.

[cowtown]

Yesterday I was cruising around a backroad after installing some B-quiet sound insulation, to see how much it quieted the car down (and it works very well).

I drove past a CHP car, who then turned in behind me and lit my V1 Ka alert up like a Christmas tree from about a quarter mile back. Then his lights came on. I knew I wasn't speeding, so I was confused. Pulled over and shut off the engine.

A young guy hopped out of the cop car and said he pulled me over for a missing front plate. My car's got a new-ish IROC front bumper, and I explained that it was kind of a project car, and that I did have the plate back in my garage. He looked over the front bumper and told me I'd have to install the plate.

He wrote down my license plate number, but didn't give me a fixit ticket, and was an all-around nice guy.

I think he was disappointed that I wasn't speeding, because the car looks a bit like a juvenile delinquent should be driving it. In 7 years of driving my old '88 Targa with no front plate, I never had a problem.

So...here's the question. This guy will be looking out for my car now, so I'm going to back down and put on a front plate. What have you guys with IROC/RSR fronts done? The front of the piece is really too narrow for the plate, and I don't think I'm allowed to bend/cut the plate to fit. Here's what the front end looks like:

[unimog]

Colin,
Forget the front plate for being stopped, I'd stop you just to get a closer look at your 911. IROC bumper, ducktail, and great color, one awesome "project car".

[Jack Olsen]

My solution (admittedly, not a very smart one) is to pay the $25 ticket every time I get cited for no front plate -- which has been three times, so far. You put the plate on, bring it in for them to sign off, pay the fine, and then go home and take it back off.

Nice car!

[hatchy]

Its a $112 fine in San Francisco.

[masraum]

I think at one point Todd Serota had a sticker made that looked like a plate and stuck that to his front bumper. I have seen similar things done to street cars that have been featured in magazines.

Besides, the odds of running into that same guy again are probably not that good, there's lots o highway in CA.

[moazam]

Man, I'd hate to cover that beautifull bumper up with a license plate.

Can't you use one of those thin and wide european license plates which would not cover up the grill area?

Like so...

[Porschekid962]

i know there is a picture of rob dickinson's car on the forum somewhere, i believe it is in the monterrey pics post. he has an orange car and he cut down his front plate to mount it, looks very clean and i dont think he has had any problems with our law enforcement officers. good luck.

p.s. my dad's 74 doesnt have a front license and we have no plans to put one on either since the front mumper is an iroc one with an oil cooler.

[Randy Webb]

tie it to the cooling grill slats & drive past the same guy several times, making sure he sees it. Then take it off. Inquire about front brackets at the local parts place and some other places. If you find a place with a cheap one that has to be ordered and will take a while, order it. Keep a copy of the order in the car.

If stopped, apologize about how it must have fallen off and tell him you are looking for a new braket that won't fall off or have ordereed one.

Be sure not to lie -- it's a biggie if you are caught giving a false stmt. to a cop.

I wish we had such loose laws up here - no front plate is a huge fine in Orygun.

[ZOA NOM]

Put the plate on your windshield with suction cups when you're in his territory.

[rvanderpyl]

Ahhh, another reason to live in Alberta, they don't even give us front plates.

Not to mention there are no smog tests.

Of course we only get to drive our cars for 6 month of the year.

[DavidI]

There are some requirements as to the mounting height and location of the front plate. I think it is one of those BS laws that should be removed from the books (and I am a cop). Because he is CHP and traffic is their thing, I am sure you will see this same guy over and over again. The have CHP offices set up throughout the state and patrol specific stretches of highway. It sucks, but what can you do?

Good luck, David

[cowtown]

Thanks for the replies. Jack, I like your solution- and if my car looked like yours, I'd do the same. Mine is, er, photogenic, but needs a paint job and some other cosmetic items.

Steve, is a sticker like Serota's legal, or is he relying on fooling the cops? I'll have to search on that. I also like the Euro plate idea, but I don't know if that's legal either.

This road I was on is a constant CHP speed trap, because it's the first exit after a long highway causeway. I'd say there is a CHP car there about 25% of the time I go by, and they never fail to blast me with radar. That's why I'm thinking I need to roll over and put on the plate.

Thanks all!

[Cornpanzer]

not sure about the plate, but that is one sweeeeeet car !

[Dantilla]

I cut the plate down to fit the 944 Turbo I used to have. Never had any problems with that. YMMV.

[jbirkett]

They are getting more anal about the front plate mainly due to the 'red light photo' tickets. San Francisco raised the ticket price so high to force people to install them, and to get more revenue in the city. The meter maids now give them out instead of just parking tickets. I have been told by some CHP that they don't care much but then others have told me it is required and they will enforce the law. Be careful about putting 'false' plates on your car in CA. I have a friend who is a lawyer and had to defend a guy on charges because he moved a plate from one car he owned to another just to drive it home. He got pulled over and they arrested him for a fellony. Apparently you can drive with no plate and get away with it but if you even put your own plate on another car it's a fellony. I have been told to remember that in CA unless it is a vanity plate the plate is registered to the car, not the owner.

[pwd72s]

Hmmmm, maybe just run the trunk lid part of a 2 piece bra, have a clear plastic pocket sewn in to slip the plate into? I do this with my '72S splitter, but the pocket is placed wayyy low, and the plate at such an a downward facing angle I hope it screws up spy cameras...seems to me a plate at an upward facing angle could do the same?

[Sonic dB]

Beautiful car Cowtown. !

I have a Porsche front liscence plate, courtesy of the Previous Owner (PO).

Never have been pulled over for it, and Ive seen plenty of police.

In fact, up in the Valley last week....I made a knowingly Illegal U-Turn in the middle of the street to pull into a gas station.

A cop pulled in after me, and he gets out and says "excuse me, you mind not doing that any more?"

I said "Im sorry officer, I dont know what you mean?"

"Dont make U-turns in the middle of the street" he said with authority.

"Oh, Im sorry...Im not from CA and dont know the law on that. It wont happen again"

"No problem...nice car." he said

[Bill Douglas]

Umm, the cop sounds friendlier than when I drove in LA. A cop approached me with his hand on his gun for a fairly minor offence

[speeder]

Originally posted by Bill Douglas
Umm, the cop sounds friendlier than when I drove in LA. A cop approached me with his hand on his gun for a fairly minor offence

Cops will usually sort of rest their hand on the stock of their pistol as they approach the window of your car for the first time, is that what you mean? Unfortunately they get shot pretty often here on traffic stops, can't say that I blame them for erring on the side of caution until they get an impression of you.

As for the front plate, I always thought that you can have it on the dashboard and get away w/ it, maybe not? Lots of people keep it under the seat and stick it on the dash when they park or get pulled over.

[jasoncrow]

Move to Florida, no front plates here - By the way where'd you get that front bumper, it's sweet!!