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Seeing them all over now. Too funny on a 1, 2, 5 year old car. But like you I remember when they were the standard issue (and before the personalized plates that came after the yellow-on-blue era that began in 1970).
What I have read, the non-reflectorized Black Plates with Yellow Lettering first came out in 1963, according to an article in Los Angeles Magazine....so then time marches on. Meanwhile, some brilliant legislator, introduces a bill in the CA Legislature to reintroduce Legacy Plates, and the Governor signs off. The only condition, there had to be a minimum of 7,500 orders before DMV would make the plates...50's, 60's and 70's*** were the plates being considered. Only the 1960s plate reached the required 7,500 orders before January 1, 2015.
*** I suspect the 40's plates were not an option as these plates are wider than the current plate...and the demographic of people that care about the 40's, is a bit sparse, and thinning every day, sad to say. But the 60's, what a memorable decade for many of us....stirs the cockles of our hearts to see these epic Black plates. Driving around LA, I see lots of the plates, mostly on the newest and fanciest cars.
I think it's great but they should be limited to only the year vehicles manufactured during original use. Otherwise it cheapens the feel. A black tag used to mean that the car was continuously registered in California for many years, now a kid in a 2016 GTR can have one.
For some of us, the Black Plates remind us of "daze" gone by, the 60's. The late 60's is when the Eagles were coming up, the Mustang came out, the 911 was introduced, the Beatles arrived on the scene, the political upheaval, etc...lots of us Geezers remember these things. Agreed, the Black Plates are not for the purist.
I would have agreed about year appropriate plates, that is, right up to the time I saw these plates on a late model car. Then all my proper and righteous points of view about how the plate should reflect the year of mfg, went right out the window. They look so retro, so cool...sort of like 993 guys putting "Duck Tails" on their car. 993 cars never came with a "Duck Tails", but some of us really like this look. Not me personally...but there are quite a few of them out there.
I am going to get some black plates for my Toyota Tundra too.
Very clever...I thought about a customized plate...but went for a random number, whatever the DMV wanted to send me....I like what I got, B58 IUO
To remember the plate I just recall a pic of a B58 "Hustler" airplane...fast and unique: https://youtu.be/zggUDrQzLcc A Mach 2 airplane. And being a 60's airplane, it would have been eligible for a Black Plate...had there been a way to get it past the California DMV
Then I think about money that I owe, I You Owe....
Funny how things go with license plates! I was one of the first "on board" with "YOM" plates for my 1923 Lincoln. Picked up a mint set at a local swap meet and went down to DMV to register. DMV inspector felt they couldn't be original as they were too nice and pulled a magnet out of his drawer as he figured they were aluminum repros. He had a pic of a license plate display from the Sac. office and couldn't match mine. Well, there were three different style designs for the 1923 plates! Anyway, the plates are still on the car, all these years later…….. and no, I'm not the original owner
I lived in northern California in 1967. I wasn't very old, so I don't remember much, but I still have a black key chain plate (from my parents) that I assume was given out with the plates.
01-21-2016, 12:55 AM
H8S H20
