Teach me about California Blue Plates
 

Just bought a 72 coupe. Included with the car was a California blue plate it once wore. I hear California blue plates often mentioned in a positive light but can't recall exactly how they make a car better. Does it simply establish it was once registered in supposedly "rust free" CA? Is it an exemption from emission testing? Help!http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1150684401.jpg

Those plates were used for certain years. I can't remember exactly... maybe ~1970 into the early 80's.

Prior to that they were black w/ yellow text. After the blue plate they went to a plate w/ white reflective background.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the blue plates from 1972 only had six digits, 3 numbers, 3 letters, not seven like that one. So that can't be the original plate for your '72. Sorry.

And any California car that's at least 30 years old is automatically smog exempt here.

ok, so cars that were new in 1972 and sold in California were issued blue plates from the California DMV? Can someone explain that? The car would then keep the same plate all its life? So a car in CA with a blue plate could be presented as one that had been in CA all its life? Is that why the plate is considered good to have?

Yes, the color of California plates in 1972 was blue. Unlike most states that were still issuing new license plates every year, CA instead issued a DMV year sticker that would be placed in that rectangular box on the plate. Every year upon renewing the plate, a new year tag goes on. There's no sticker so that was a front plate. In the 1970's, there was no law that required motorists to drive with a front plate (like there is now). So the plates ended up on garage walls. And today, there are hundreds of single blue front license plates for sale at swap meets all over the state every weekend.

When a used car is sold in CA, the new owner has the option of keeping the old plate upon registration or getting a new plate.

If there is documentation that was the original plate to your car, it would only prove the car was in California before it was sold to the 2nd owner and reregistred.

The only blue plate that would prove the car's been in CA it's entire life would been attached to the rear of your car upon purchase with a current year DMV registration tag.

Hope that helps. If you have more questions, there are a variety of license plate collector clubs that can be quite helpful.

Yep- In CA the plate stays w/ the car (versus Nevada, for example where the plates are tied to the owner).

I guess a blue plate does not 'prove' that a car was originally sold in CA... it could have been first registered somewhere else & then brought in to CA in 1980, for example, and then issued CA plates.

There is probably some data somewhere on what numerical range was used for CA plates in 1972 (?)

Since California had the three plates (black, blue, white) some people consider it a bonus to have the period correct plates on the car. For example, my 83 has the blue plates and I have had people comment on them.

The plates go with the car, but there is a way to transfer them between vehicles if you own both. My neighbor has a 32 Ford and he bought an old POS parts car just to get the black plates. He then transferred them to his car and sold the POS.

You can't transfer a CA blue plate to another vehicle. I tried to do this with a black plate for my '69 but the DMV said no. The only CA plates you can transfer are single year antique plates that are the same year of your vehicle. Thus, your friend lucked-out finding a '32 parts car for his '32 Ford. I think the cut-off for the transfer is 1965.

I hope that blue license plate wasn't a big factor in you buying that car. If it was, you should contact the seller immediately and ask him to send you documentation regarding the plate. I have a feeling you'll hear, "the paperwork got lost over the years..."

Here's an address that will help you:

http://www.calpl8s.com/


Rob

Many thanks to all. Here in Viriginia you can register your car as a classic if it's 25 years old or older. You can get either a black plate with white letters or a yellow plate with black letters or you can get a Virigina plate from the year of the car YOM and use that. I've done all three at one time or another. If it's registered as a classic there is no requirement for a safety inspection or emissions testing. But you're not supposed to drive it except to car events and to sell it. I drove a car with classic plates for 3 years continuously and always had an excuse ready that I was going to show it to a collegue at work who was thinking about buying it. I also remove those tags from matresses. I'm a born risk taker.

Nah, not at all. I think it's kinda cool, but it's not a major factor to me. Of course, if I ever sell the car I'll list it as a "rare blue plate car" and add a 5K premium. :D

Actually, that was directed toward our friend in Virginia. The idea a seller would sport a random blue plate pretending it was the original license plate is pretty weak. But if your car came with active blue plates, that's very cool. I tried to relicense my '69 with 2 matching black plates and got the big N-O at the DMV.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the rolling 30 year smog exemption got killed last year by our lovely government. They had take a few tons of smog causing elements from us enthusiasts, so they can pass them on to industry. Those guys have the better lobby. The smog excempt cutoff is 1975 and older now and it's fixed.

George

Here's how to get blue plates on your California car: order personalized plates. Then, order high quality replica blue plates of your personalized plates. Technically this will be illegal but a cop can't tell whether personalized plates were issued as blue or white.

Another good thing ruined by an egotistical Republican.

Where would a guy find something like that -- in Black & Yellow?

I had a '65 Bus I was going to restore. Came with what appeared to be the original black plates. They were pretty beat up. I can't remember the URL, but I was surprised that there was a place that actually 'restores' old plates.

T.

The bill was authored by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, a democrat from Mountain View.

Cheers, George

Just to add some thoughts:

If you check the CA DMV website, you can put the old yellow on black plates onto cars up to (I think) '62 or 63. There is a guy at the Pomona Swap meet (at least he used to be there regularly) who sells old plates, both restored AND unrestored. You can even put the earlier black print on yellow plates onto older era cars/trucks! Can't remember what years those go on?...up to mid/late Fifties I think. Lots of the low rider crowd have them on their restored 40's Chevy cars. They look kinda neat and certainly are era-correct.

I plan on buying the high quality repro plates in blue to match a personalized plate I will order, then not use the mbut re-register my car with the "original" blue plates. (Have to have them mailed to an out-of-state address, then have someone re-mail them to you.) It is illegal, but contrary to what someone said above, a cop COULD tell it is the wrong plate if he were paying attention AND is savvy enough to know that the number/letter sequence is from the wrong era.

I have a '76 but will use a three letter/space/three number sequence that I remember from my very first car - my Dad's '55 Chevy 2 door hardtop Belair. Sort of an homage to my Dad and my first car as a sixteen year old. Hope this clarifies somethings.

P.S. Contrary to my memory - the second thing to go! - there WERE a couple of years of personalized plates in the blue plate era. The last couple of years, but if I understand it correctly they only used 6 letters/numbers.

Dang. Makes me want to throw away my "Don't Blame Me, I Voted For McGovern" bumper sticker. :)