California Historic Vehicle Plates

[Dave 53]

A Ford GT40 passed me (twice) on my bike ride. It had a California Historic Vehicle license plate.

Can a replica car get California Historic Vehicle plates? My 30 second read of the DMV rules says no. And I don't recall ever seeing them on a Cobra replica...

Did I see a real GT40 just cruising around Danville?

[Papa]

I found this:

A car is considered a classic in California if it's at least 25 years old, was manufactured after 1922, and is of historic interest. When a vehicle in California meets these requirements, the owner can register it as a historic vehicle, which will allow the car to use special license plates.

Not sure if it applies to replicas unless they are 25 years old or more.

[mrmustang]

A Ford GT40 passed me (twice) on my bike ride. It had a California Historic Vehicle license plate.

Can a replica car get California Historic Vehicle plates? My 30 second read of the DMV rules says no. And I don't recall ever seeing them on a Cobra replica...

Did I see a real GT40 just cruising around Danville?

20 years ago, yes, it was possible for a kit car to get a historic plate in California. These days, it's a crapshoot you could either win, or lose a lot of cash, and maybe even your car by attempting it with a previously California titled kit car. A review of "state of California vs titles unlimited" (the top 3 should suffice) should get you some of the information why in todays world, a SB100 is gold compared to that historic tag.

Bill S.

[Dave 53]

I found this:

A car is considered a classic in California if it's at least 25 years old, was manufactured after 1922, and is of historic interest. When a vehicle in California meets these requirements, the owner can register it as a historic vehicle, which will allow the car to use special license plates.

Not sure if it applies to replicas unless they are 25 years old or more.

How about the 16 cylinder requirement for a horseless carriage plate!

Horseless Carriage License Plates are issued to two types of motor vehicles:

* With an engine size of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965.

* Manufactured in 1922 or before."

Found this 2003 forum thread from clubcobra.com discussing the Titles Unlimited case real time (back then). I founded it educational / amusing / entertaining / interesting.
http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/consumer-watch/41995-titles-unlimited.html

Note: Bill aka mrmustang, just realized you're part of that 2003 discussion! Almost exactly 20 years ago.

[mrmustang]

How about the 16 cylinder requirement for a horseless carriage plate!

Horseless Carriage License Plates are issued to two types of motor vehicles:

* With an engine size of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965.

* Manufactured in 1922 or before."

Found this 2003 forum thread from clubcobra.com discussing the Titles Unlimited case real time (back then). I founded it educational / amusing / entertaining / interesting.
http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/consumer-watch/41995-titles-unlimited.html

Note: Bill aka mrmustang, just realized you're part of that 2003 discussion! Almost exactly 20 years ago.

There is so much more to it than what you found, so much more. My advice, do not open that can of worms and bring the wrath of DMV's nationwide down upon the fine folks who adore these kit cars. Some of which actually read and sometimes participate in these forums, yes, really.

We are more than a revenue stream.

I'll leave it at that.

Bill S.

[weendoggy]

If you're just talking black/gold plates, those can be purchased as Special Interest.

[CaptB]

If you're just talking black/gold plates, those can be purchased as Special Interest.

Exactly what he said, I was in LA this past weekend with a friend and he says they are available to anyone that wants to pay extra.

[JohnK]

CA historical vehicle plates are different than the black special interest plates anyone can purchase. My understanding is that the car has to be titled as a qualifying year vehicle, which SB100 vehicles are not. Also, not sure why you'd want to do this with one of our cars as there are significant restrictions on how such a vehicle can be used. The only real reason I could think of for doing this is if you never plan on really driving the car anyway, and the car is worth an amount significant enough that the "regular" registration fee would be pretty onerous. This is basically intended for folks that have ~$1M cars in their collections that they rarely drive.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/special-plates/historical-vehicle-and-horseless-carriage-license-plates/

"Vehicles assigned Horseless Carriage or Historical Vehicle License Plates are limited to operation or movement over the highway primarily for the purpose of historical exhibition or other similar, noncommercial purposes, such as parades or historic vehicle club activities, and are subject to a fixed annual vehicle license fee (VLF) of $2."

Edit: Back to the original question, if the GT40 had a true historical vehicle plate and not just the black special interest plate, then it was almost certainly a real GT40.

[Dave 53]

This was a Historic Vehicle plate, not just a plain black and yellow plate. Hope it shows up at our Friday morning C&C some time. Or the nearby Shelby museum https://cobraexperience.org/. There are some amazing cars and private collections in this town (read lots of rich car guys), so it's possible.