[Healeys] California Legacy License Plate program

[Bruce Steele]

Hi, Rohan.  Given that your car is a ’56, if it was originally registered in CA it would have had black on yellow plates.  The yellow on black plates replaced them in ’63, if memory serves.   You can order year of manufacture plates from the DMV, though I needed to get a supervisor to help me as the clerk was unfamiliar with them (not surprising, given the low volume of requests they likely get).  

 

If you want to retain the black plates, I’d suggest contacting Darryl’s License Plate Restoration.  I’ve had good success with him.

 

http://www.darrylsplates.com/

  

 

Bruce Steele

Brea, CA

1960 BN7

 

From: Healeys [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Rohan Marr
Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2015 4:42 PM
To: Austin Healey List
Subject: [Healeys] California Legacy License Plate program

 

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but I found this today and as an owner of an original “black plated” California car. I have mixed feelings on this one. Firstly it is worth reading up on the announcement and links:

 

Classic California License Plates to Hit Streets this Summer: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/newsrel/newsrel15/2015_41

CA DMV: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/legacyplates/index

 

So why the mixed feelings, well original black plates had some value and meaning - the car was an original California car. Unfortunately my plates have really deteriorated, and after a few steep driveways (you know how low our cars are) I have bent them in half one by one until they broke in half. I only ever had one plate on the rear and swapped it … the current one is hanging on by a thread. So I was looking to see if someone would reproduce them and I remember a link to someone who “unofficially” remade them published on this list a few years ago. These new ones will reportedly use the same dye press tooling as the originals out of Folsom Prison (not sure where I read that), but unlike the original these will have a modern reflective coating and more importantly be available for use on any vehicle, both old and new, or car, truck or motorcycles. I know how I feel about a Prius with black plates!

 

So what I really want to do is replace my plates with the same number etc with an original look, or do I want to give up on that and bite the bullet for a vanity plate with the new black?

 

What does everyone think of this?

 

Rohan (aka Aussie)

’56 Longbridge BN4 “Hellouise"

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