I had a somewhat similar experience in the 60's. In MD we had Antique
Tags and i had them on my '32 Chopped, Channeled and Z'ed Li'l Deuce
Coupe. It was a true CA Hot Rod in every way. Had a 331 Hemi with a
Cad/LaSalle trans. Weighed 1800 #, 800 of which was the motor. Ran a 2
bbl as no one could show me I need more.
I was stopped 5-6 times over the years, but in every case it was
because the Cop wanted to look at the car. It usually started out "You
haven't done anything wrong, I just wanted to see the car." Or he would
have some tech question. Usually about the Windshield hight. MD law
required 6" vertically, and mine was 6 1/4". I never had a nasty cop,
but I was very careful to carry a copy of the Motor Vehicle Code and
knew the answer to any question he might have.
Damn I miss that car!
Ray
I had a BAD experience with this concept in the early 90's.
Washington adopted the law allowing use of an excellent condition,
matching set of plates that also matched the year of the car on
vehicles
over (25?) years old. The cost was a one-time fee of $35. Licensing
at the
time for an old car was about that per year, so it made dollar sense
on top
of putting original plates on your car.
58 was the first year for sticker tabs in the State, and in 1963
the
State issued a total recall for a new plate color / type, making the
58 - 62
plates fairly hard to come by.
A license plate collector friend found me a set and restored them
for
what was then about five times what a 57 and earlier plate might cost.
In
other words, I invested a fair sum to do this. I put them on the
DeSoto and
immediately the trouble started. I got pulled over a good dozen times
in
the course of the first summer, culminating in a drive where I ended
up
cuffed and taken to jail. The cop was a real blowhard, and even
though I
carried papers in the car outlining the plate usage and authorization,
this
guy was bent on running me through the system. He insisted the car was
somehow "stolen" as it had not been "licensed" (in the normal way) for
several years. By the time they stripped me out, took my prints, gave
me
jail clothes, etc., a knock came on the cell door informing me
"everything
had been cleared up" and my property was waiting down the hall. I got
dressed and asked for a ride back to my car (which inexplicably they
had not
impounded). I was told that they do not do that, and after some
argument
over their THEIR mistake and MY imposition, I hoofed it the some eight
miles
back to my car and went home.
I made one stop en route. The licensing agency.
I knew the girls in there very well, and had been back numerous
times
over getting pulled over with these "legal" plates.
They had made copies of all the necessary paperwork for me to
carry to
prove the plates were in fact legitimate, but it all had become too
much of
a hassle. I put my old plates back on the car and chalked one up for
lack
of professionalism.
Having since gone into law enforcement, I am appalled at how so
many
different officers were oblivious to this very law they were
specifically
tasked with overseeing. Afterall, in the bigger scheme of things, how
many
pre-1960 cars were there on the road ? These cars stuck out like a
sore
thumb and should have easily sent up flags that the licensing might be
a
little out of the norm. Besides reusing vintage plates, there were
several
other "collector vehicle" licensing options at the time.
I might try them again, but I now live in an area where old cars
and
streetrods are a very big culture and you see them on the road all the
time.
The cops here seem to be genuinely interested in dealing with crime
and not
just hassling the local citizenry. Besides, now I have an "in". This
experience had a profound effect on how I treat my contacts.
B.
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