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Photography by Ted Gushue
We’ve all been there, heck, a good chunk of us have even been ticketed for it. The dreaded front license plate has long been the bane of the classic automotive community, and finally New York State is putting it to a vote, joining a long list of states that have figured this out.
Do you live in NY? Do you drive a classic? If you don’t support this then I’m not sure we can be friends.
From the legislation:
Overview: Legislation (S.B. 832) was introduced to provide that a historical motor vehicle which was not manufactured with a license plate display area on the front of the vehicle may display only a single plate on the rear of the vehicle. The bill will be considered by the Senate Transportation Committee.
CLICK HERE TO CONTACT LOCAL LAWMAKERS AND VOICE YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS BILL
What exactly is the beef with front plates? It doesn’t change anything about the cars aesthetics or performance or value. Cars everywhere else in the world are expected to display plates on the front and rear (and in some cases, a 3rd plastic sticker on the windscreen) and this affects changes absolutely zero else on the vehicle. Anyway, is this really a fight the classic car community wants to expend valuable political capital on? What if New York or any other metropolis then puts forward a bill to prohibit pre-1998 vehicles/motorcycles from being driven in the city a la Paris?… Read more »
I asked my friend who is a cop in New York about front license pates on classic cars. He said, it’s just for ticketing reasons.
I clicked on the contact law makers bill button and was not connected.
A few years ago I left the People’s Republic Of California for Arizona for two very good reasons….
1. No front license plates required.
2. Legally available 30 round AR magazines.
Fun fact: vehicles with historic plates from a single plate year are already exempted from the front plate requirement in NY. Time to buy 1964 or 65 (among others I’m sure)!
Would be great to see this expanded however.
Ok, guitar slinger, care to offer any REASON as to WHY you’re so anti anti front plate?? “Front plates make a difference”…!!???? What does that even mean????
It’s kind of funny…I actually like having the front plate on classic cars (and modern cars, and supercars and hypercars and all of them). I see it a bit like being present when your favorite movie star farts. The front plate on a car reassures that it’s just a fucking car after all.
Actually … being responsible CITEZEN’s first and foremost … and Gear/PetrolHeads second … We really do not ! And SHOULD NOT ! To put it succinctly .. this aint the EU .. never has been .. much of the EU requires front plates … front plates make a difference …. and TS to all who think otherwise . I can tell you point blank should such a misguided and self centered resolution ever appear before the Colorado senate I’ll be throwing my weight / funds and connections against it full force And here’s hoping NY has the common sense to… Read more »
Why? Most US states do not require front plates, and I would welcome their abolition here in the UK and EU too.
Nothing more than fake outrage from the Guitar Hack. Go ahead, throw your ‘weight / funds and connections against it full force.” No one cares
Guitar Slinger, the front license plate is nothing more that a tool to facilitate writing parking/moving violation tickets. It has nothing to do with being a responsible citizen, since it does not improve public safety. Your residence in Colorado is very telling. Like living in Amerika? Why not make it voluntary? That way you can display your front plate and the rest of us can choose not to.
California should be next. I’ve gladly paid for a few tickets and have gone so far as to wire up a “portable” plate for my daily driver. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I put front plates on my other cars! I can’t believe the Brits are ok with the humongous plates they’re stuck with.
…. in other words you’re more concerned with your own self interests and vanity than your responsibilities as a citizen , the law and its intentions . e.g. A touch of Ayn Randian philosophy perhaps * ? And err FYI .. open yer eyes son … most of the EU requires front plates as well
* a recent cartoon in the NewYorker showing a farmer and his son in a corn field with the farmer/father saying ; ” The corn is too immature to pick son . Its still reading Ayn Rand ” … says it all !
The British plates are OK on most things – they’re wider but also shorter than most US plates. There are some cars that do look better without them, though – E-types among them. Guitar Slinger, what are you on about? This is nothing to do with citizens’ responsibility.