How to keep/get Calif 914s' Old Original Plates ..., ... Resources & History of Plate Types & Colors, etc. Options

[Tom_T]

OK All -

IIRC - with some 60% of the total 914 production coming into the USA, & 40% of the total going into California ALONE for first sale new - & with more Cali 914s surviving due to the milder climate out here ... . . .... that's a big chunk of the 914s still around today! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

There have been several posts with questions on how to (re-) register your 914 with expired reg. &/or old plates, etc.; as well as those who have somehow managed to hold onto their original issue plates & wondering if they can go back to them or keep them when registering their 914 for the road again.

Well, apparently Cal DMV & our illustrious Legislature have decided to clarify & expand a couple of programs for re-registering the original plates, as well as extending the date for the "Original Year of Manufacture" plates program to at least include those from 1969 build dates.

I too have an early 1973 MY 914-2.0 with its original plates, which has been out of registration & PNO for most of the time it's sat in my garage awaiting resto since 5/85 (no PNO since 12/92), so I went searching on the DMV website for more info., & found the following which may be helpful to the rest of you out there.

These are mostly hidden away in corners of the DMV website requiring some time searching, so hopefully I've saved you some time searching them out. If you've looked at them before, then please note that these were revised in mid & late 2009. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Got your old plates? ... bringing a former Cal 914 back? ... want to get repro Black & Gold plates for your 1969 Manufactured 914-6 or 914 (-4)? ... want to try out Historical Vehicle plates? ... read on & link out!

REASSIGNMENT OF OLD PLATES:
- NEW CHANGES ALLOW VEHICLES ON DATABASE TO GO BACK TO OLD PLATES:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vehindustry/vin_memo...009/09vin20.pdf

YEAR OF MANUFACTURE PLATE PROGRAM:
- ONLY UP TO 1969 my FOR AUTOS, BUT IN LATER YEARS THEY MAY EXTEND THIS FURTHER OUT AGAIN:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/lad/pdfs/yom/new_text.pdf
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vehindustry/vin_memo...009/09vin09.pdf

HISTORY OF CAL PLATES & DMV:
- FOR THOSE ASKING WHEN WHICH PLATES/COLORS & NUMBERING SYSTEMS CAME IN:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/plates/licenseplthistory.htm
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/profile/milestones.htm
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/profile/history.htm

HISTORICAL VEHICLE PLATES:
- ANOTHER OPTION FOR 914s TO THE CURRENT "WHITE PLATES":
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5004.htm

DMV HOME PAGE:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/

Additionally, DMV has apparently expanded what their "Business Partners" (e.g.: AAA, dealers, etc.) can now do with these areas above, because before it changed at the end of 2009, AAA had told me they couldn't do these services, but apparently now can do at least some of them in some cases. So there may be an upside to DMV's cutbacks of service with the state's budget crisis! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom T
Orange CA
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[montoya 73 2.0]

I keep seeing the words "collector car". Why does it have to be a collector car to assign the YOM plates? What I did here in Orgon was as follows (my story):

I went to the DMV here in Oregon with two YOM plates (they were previously on IIRC a chevelle and then out of registration for the last 15 years). My number was called and when I spoke to the lady about registering these plates on my 73 914 (the car was previuosly registered non-op in California) she told me all about the collector car laws for Oregon. I told her I don't want to register it as a collector car because you can only drive it a certain number of miles a year and can only use it for parades, etc, etc.. I told her I want to register the plates as personalized license plates? She gave me a puzzled look. I then asked her if I can have these exact characters (letters & numbers) in the exact sequence on my personalized plates? She said sure if no one else has them. After checking that no one did, I said I wanted to request that plate sequence. She handed me some paperwork to fill out and I then said "If I can have this same sequence than what would stop me from using these very plates"? She again looked at me with a puzzled look and said Well I don't know. I asked her to get her manager and then explained the whole thing again? I added that these were actual plates issued by the DMV and they were not on record to anyone. He shrugged his shoulders and said I was right. After he did some checking in the computer and in a few books he came back and said that there was nothing in his books that said I couldn't register them as personalized plates and furthermore that he could not find anything saying that I could not use those very plates. So instead of having to pay for new personalized plates to be made, I had to register the YOM plates as personalized plates (every two years) and everything is good!

I don't know if that will work in California but I actually didn't think it was going to work here either!

Good Luck




I like to think my plates stand for Hot-Fuchin-Rod-8(August,month plates assigned)-73 (year)!

[Tom_T]

I keep seeing the words "collector car". Why does it have to be a collector car to assign the YOM plates? What I did here in Orgon was as follows (my story):

I went to the DMV here in Oregon with two YOM plates (they were previously on what I believe was a chevelle and then out of registration for the last 15 years). My number was called and when I spoke to the lady about registering these plates on my 73 914 (the car was previuosly registered non-op in California) she told me all about the collector car laws for Oregon. I told her I don't want to register it as a collector car because you can only drive it a certain number of miles a year and can only use it for parades, etc, etc.. I told her I want to register the plates as personalized license plates? She gave me a puzzled look. I then asked her if I can have these exact characters (letters & numbers) in the exact sequence on my personalized plates? She said sure if no one else has them. After checking that no one did, I said I wanted to request that plate sequence. She handed me some paperwork to fill out and I then said "If I can have this same sequence than what would stop me from using these very plates"? She again looked at me with a puzzled look and said Well I don't know. I asked her to get her manager and then explained the whole thing again? I added that these were actual plates issued by the DMV and they were not on record to anyone. He shrugged his shoulders and said I was right. After he did some checking in the computer and in a few books he came back and said that there was nothing in his books that said I couldn't register them as personalized plates and furthermore that he could not find anything saying that I could not use those very plates. So instead of having to pay for new personalized plates to be made, I had to register the YOM plates as personalized plates (every two years) and everything is good!

I don't know if that will work in California but I actually didn't think it was going to work here either!

Good Luck

Great Story - DMV's are similar everywhere, but OR's apparently ultimately CAN listen to reason! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) ..... unlike CA's DMV-doofs!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

In CA they only list limitations on driving it under "Historical Vehicle" plates, which is yet another classification & plate type. I know some folks who do a bit more than the defined driving with theirs & always have a good reason to do so! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Here the "collector" definition really only applies to the type of vehicle under that definition posted above, & gives the lawmakers & bureaucrats the convenient excuse to otherwise limiting the reassignment of older "non-reflectorized" plates. As far as I can tell, there are zero mileage/driving limitations under this, and a new MY vehicle could qualify as their low production number vehicle definition aspect for collector car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)