Found: Real 80s CA State Vanity Plate - 088 MPH. Anyone Interested?

[Great Scott]

A friend has an old VW bus that just happened to come with this plate on it. He never even realized it was a Back to the Future reference until somebody pointed it out. He just kept it on the bus because he likes California. I'm sure he would sell it for a fair price.
I'm just posting this here to see if a real vintage California State Back to the Future vanity plate generates any interest in the DeLorean crowd.
I've heard some states will even let you re-register old plates like this for legal use on historic vehicles.
Do any of you think it would be worth the trouble to list it in the "For Sale" section? Anybody care to attempt an appraisal?
Sorry, I don't know how to post a photo in here, but it's the old blue plate with the yellow numbers/letters, California stamped across the top. The renewal stickers are in the upper corners.

[Mickfly]

A friend has an old VW bus that just happened to come with this plate on it. He never even realized it was a Back to the Future reference until somebody pointed it out. He just kept it on the bus because he likes California. I'm sure he would sell it for a fair price.
I'm just posting this here to see if a real vintage California State Back to the Future vanity plate generates any interest in the DeLorean crowd.
I've heard some states will even let you re-register old plates like this for legal use on historic vehicles.
Do any of you think it would be worth the trouble to list it in the "For Sale" section? Anybody care to attempt an appraisal?
Sorry, I don't know how to post a photo in here, but it's the old blue plate with the yellow numbers/letters, California stamped across the top. The renewal stickers are in the upper corners.

PM Sent.

[Dangermouse]

I've heard some states will even let you re-register old plates like this for legal use on historic vehicles.
.

I don't think that other states will allow you to put a CA plate on your car as the legal license plate.

I have no idea if CA would allow you to use it as your official plate.

In some states that do not use a front plate, you could probably get away with it on a DeLorean, putting it on the front, though.

[Great Scott]

I don't think that other states will allow you to put a CA plate on your car as the legal license plate.

I have no idea if CA would allow you to use it as your official plate.

In some states that do not use a front plate, you could probably get away with it on a DeLorean, putting it on the front, though.

Well no, if a state will let you register it, it could only be in California, obviously.
I'm from Michigan and I'm nearly sure they let people use old Michigan plates on historic vehicles. They also don't use a front plate, so you could probably put the CA one on front in MI.
In any case, this old plate would make a nice accessory to be used at shows and on trailer queens.

[Bruce Johnson]

California's YOM (year of manufacture) program allows you to reinstate a plate up to the 1969 series plates for passenger cars if they are DMV clear. Those were the black background and gold lettering plates. The '80's plates don't qualify.

[David T]

Even if you can't legally use the plate, a collector may buy it to use for static display. Depends on how much your friend wants for it. At a minimum he has to get enough to pay for a replacement.
David Teitelbaum

[dvonk]

I'm from Michigan and I'm nearly sure they let people use old Michigan plates on historic vehicles. They also don't use a front plate...

same for historic vehicles in Nebraska.

[LEVY]

They would allow you to use that plate as long as is not currently registered.

I did a California search and it is available at this time. 88 MPH is registered but o88 MPH is not.

So someone from California may be interested but since 88 MPH is taken, I don't know.

LEVY



same for historic vehicles in Nebraska.

[Bruce Johnson]

Nope. Again, you can't register those plates. YOM program is only good up 1969 for pass. cars. The blue and gold plates came out in the 70's http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg352.pdf

[TTait]

But they require two plates, one front and one rear.

If you want to run a vintage plate...

One can order government spec plates from manufacturers on the internet, but they are not entirely legal to use on the road. That said if one found a vanity plate available and got it legally from the DMV, they might then have a vintage version of that plate made up, and you could probably get away with running the reproduction vintage plate. For example if you got a new ca plate IGO88MPH - and it came as an ugly new style CA plate, then if you got a good reproduction one in 81 colors with yellow on blue, you could probably run that vintage style plate and no one would be the wiser.

Similarly, I could probably get an '85 style plate made up with my current plate number on it, and likely get away with running that.

If or when the cops pull you over, they will run the plate, compare it to your registration, etc, but if the plate on the car appears to be an old state issued plate - are they really going to check and see if the plate style matches the one that was issued? Maybe someone here in LE could answer that for sure.