1963 California black plate. Photo by woody1778a
Anyone who has ever scanned listings for classic cars has likely seen sellers boasting of a “black-plate car,” in reference to the California-native 1960s-era vehicle they have on offer. These era-correct license plates have long been viewed as a sort of badge of honor among West Coast enthusiasts, one that has been recognized by car folk across the country. Now the state of California is preparing to issue brand-new license plates with the familiar chrome-yellow digits on a black background, in addition to versions that emulate other vintage California license plates.
According to a fact sheet released by the office of California Assemblyman Mike Gatto, Assembly Bill No. 1658, “would create the Legacy License Plate Program to allow the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue plates that replicate the look of the plates from the state’s past.” The bill would provide not just for new license plates in the style of vintage black plates, but also new plates with the 1970s-spec blue background and another to emulate the earlier yellow plates with black digits, first issued for 1956.
For enthusiasts in other parts of the country who may wonder what makes “black-plate” and other vintage-tagged vehicles so desirable, a little history may be in order.
The significance stems from unusual DMV plating policies in the Golden State, where for decades, new cars have been issued new license plates that are intended to stay with the vehicle for its useful life, no matter how many owners it may pass through. This contrasts with typical practices in most other states, where the license plates follow the car owner from vehicle to vehicle; a new owner of a used car must either transfer plates from his previously owned vehicle or get a new set.
Up through the introduction of the black series plates in 1963, each time the State of California would issue a new series of license plates, every registered owner got a new set, and was expected to replace their existing tags. However, beginning with the familiar blue-and-yellow series, new plates were only required for new vehicles, or for situations where a used car had to be re-plated, including cars coming in from other states. Had the state not changed its plating policies, all registered cars would have been fitted with blue-and-yellow plates as part of registration renewal in the early 1970s.
Instead, cars remaining registered with black plates just retained them, and owners simply continued to add new registration stickers each year. What made this a big deal among old car fans was the fact that, prior to just a few years ago, the only way a car could display those black plates legally was if they had been in place continuously since first being issued during the 1960s – once they came off, they were off for good. Even an original owner of a 1960s car who may have removed his black plates in favor of vanity plates (first made available in California in 1972 during the blue series), or because the car was registered in another state for a period, could not return the black plates to the vehicle and would have had to run contemporary white plates.
1969 California blue plate. Photo by woody1778a
More recently, that policy was amended when the state of California officially included black plates into its Year of Manufacture (YOM) program, which enables owners of vintage cars to assign era-correct vintage license plates. Previously, YOM had included plates up through the 1956-issue yellow series, but not beyond. While the program expansion pleased many vintage car owners, it significantly diminished the exclusivity of true black-plate vehicles, even though only appropriate-year vehicles could be retrofitted with black plates, and the applicant had to provide a matched pair of vintage plates to the DMV for a visual inspection and a system check to insure that the number was free and clear.
Now the black plate may be coming full circle as California considers issuing new versions.
We spoke with representatives from Assemblyman Gatto’s office for more details on the proposed plates, and learned that the intent is to make them appear authentic to their respective periods, though the design also has to comply with current plate regulations. That means the finishes will mostly likely be reflective, which was not a feature of the California plates until the mid-1980s. Ideally, the plates will also have the retro block-letters spelling out California, though they will likely be printed only – not stamped. Also, the new retro-styled plates will be available for any model-year vehicle, something Gatto and his staff feel will appeal to owners of new retro-styled cars like the current Challenger, Camaro, Beetle and so on.
The bill goes to a vote in the assembly on April 9, and though it is expected to pass, the program won’t be out of the woods immediately. In order for the program to be deemed fiscally viable, 2,500 paid applications will have to be received once the bill passes. After reaching that number, the program will move forward and new retro-styled plates will be issued. Assemblyman Gatto’s office is working with the Association of California Car Clubs to communicate with enthusiasts, and we expect any further announcements on this issue will be posted at the club’s website, ACCCDefender.org. If and when the bill passes, it will be up to California enthusiasts to push the program to fruition by applying for the special plates. We’ll continue to observe the development of the proposed program and report back as it progresses.
0 comments:
Post a Comment