1960's Legacy License Plates available in CA

This program has been discussed on several vintage muscle car forums as well as the SEMA lobbying site (if I recall correctly) for a while now. Due to the fact that the legacy plates will be "Similar" but not identical to the real YOM plates, coupled with the fact that the legacy plates can be assigned to any car including a new 2015 model, lead to a number of opinions that the YOM was the preferred option for those year model cars eligible for YOM.

Notwithstanding the availability of legacy plates and the YOM program, I see all sorts of cars at car events with more modern plates that have been refinished to simulate the 1963-69 black with yellow letter format, even when the plate has the 7 characters configuration.

At one time several years ago there was a guy on the east coast who offered "novelty plates" containing any combination of letters and numbers you wanted that were visually quite accurate depictions of "legal" California plates. Apparently someone got grouchy and the State probably sent him a cease and desist letter as he no longer does any California novelty plates.

Technically illegal but not yet generally enforced in any dragnet sort of effort that I have seen. I expect that so long as the plate is legible and depicts the actual number assigned to the vehicle, LEO will likley focus on more nefarious crimes. Then again..........................
 
HB Chris said:
A reflectorized black license plate, that's going to look silly, as well as being applied to new vehicles.
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Yea, that's my take on them. Calling those things "60's license plates" is just false advertising. If I had a car from the blue plate era, and couldn't do YOM, I'd just get antique car plates or live with the modern 7 digit plates. At least modern California plates don't have the ugly graphics that appear on many other states' plates.

At one time several years ago there was a guy on the east coast who offered "novelty plates" containing any combination of letters and numbers you wanted that were visually quite accurate depictions of "legal" California plates. Apparently someone got grouchy and the State probably sent him a cease and desist letter as he no longer does any California novelty plates.
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That was licenseplates.tv They did beautiful work - their black plates were indistinguishable from authentic 1960's plates, except for being made from aluminum instead of steel. But yea, they no longer supply California plates. Another thing to thank the nice people in Sacramento for.
 
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We just had my Wife's aunt's 67 mustang shipped from Ca to Ma. I guess I should hold on to the original black license plate that is still active till I switch over to Ma. Glad I read this. I did note I thought the plate was very vintage and just fit the car so well.
 
bavbob said:
I guess I should hold on to the original black license plate that is still active till I switch over to Ma.
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Definitely hang onto the black California plate - do not let the Massachusetts DMV get hold of it. Tell them you got the car with no plates, tell them aliens abducted the plates, ....

Also hang onto the registration that shows these plates were once mounted on a car with your Mustang's VIN. If and when the Mustang returns home, that paperwork will make it easier to re-register the car with its original plates. Yea, the YOM program works to register a 60's car with any black plates, but it's simpler if you have historic paperwork. The California DMV doesn't keep records going back much longer than last month, so without that paperwork you need to start all over again.
 
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