Bumper stickers and license plates

[BlueTrain]

Since my last post in this thread, our (that is, my wife's) 1998 Volvo has met with a terrible accident, although terrible for a car that old, although not old enough to vote, didn't amount to much. She was not injured, meaning my wife, of course.

Even though we replaced my previous car last December, we generally make our cars do for as long as possible. So when we finally do get something new and new it will be, we tend to have these technological leaps, although the changes are mostly irrelevant at our speed. For example, I have no idea what Bluetooth is but it seems to be commonly offered. I also observe that continuously variable transmissions are all the rage now, too. There were cars available with those 45 years ago, although not in this country. I am grateful for the CD players, however.

I also mentioned in a previous post about push-button transmissions. Someone now has a car that has a rotary gear selector. But everyone should be please to learn that manual transmissions are still available on a few cars as an alternative. For the serious student of the past, Morgan cars are again available in the U.S.

 

[MisterCairo]

I don't like state slogans on number plates. Mainers have had to drive around with VACATIONLAND on our cars since 1937, which is basically the same thing as saying TOURISTLAND. Feh.

As a kid, Ontario plates had "Keep it Beautiful". I interpreted that literally as meaning the plate, and took care to wash it well.

 

[Stearmen]

Here is a dealer emblem I picked up many years ago. Not sure if it is NOS, or if someone took it off as soon as they got home? Been saving it for the 289 kit Cobra that I wan't to build some day! As some of you know, not all Cobra's were assembled in California.

 

[Stearmen]

 

[Talbot]

A Gold Star to anyone who can name a car that was available with a two-speed transmission.

My old 1961 Compact Fairlane had a 221 V8 and 2 speed auto. Prolly 3 speeds if you count the long slip between Low and Drive

 

[BlueTrain]

Not to change the subject or anything but my wife's car of the last 15 years just got towed away. It was a 98 Volvo wagon and was damaged in an accident. It doesn't take much damage to total a car at that age. It was the saddest thing to see it disappear up the street on the back of a truck. Her previous car, another Volvo wagon, she had for 18 years, and it was also sad to see it leave the same way.

Tomorrow; new car (maybe!).

 

[David Conwill]

In Maine, operating over 45 mph at any time was prima facie evidence of reckless driving, and you could get convicted for it well into the 1950s.

That must have been the case in Vermont as well. The attitude persists and it makes me crazy sometimes, though I'm slowly adjusting to the slower pace of traffic.

 

[1mach1]

Here is a dealer emblem I picked up many years ago. Not sure if it is NOS, or if someone took it off as soon as they got home? Been saving it for the 289 kit Cobra that I wan't to build some day! As some of you know, not all Cobra's were assembled in California.

That is awesome!

 

[p51]

Maybe it's been brought up here before, but what's the deal with plates on each end of a car? Many western states require it but many others do not.
It's annoying to me that I have to have a license plate on each end of the car when the front plate really accomplishes nothing to speak of that I can tell.
I know front and rear plates were common back in the day, I wonder when that stopped being such a big deal in many states?
As for the slow driving, here in the Pacific NW, people drive whatever speed they want, in whatever lane. It is a violation of the law and you can be pulled over for impeding traffic, but you usually can't go anywhere on I-5 without seeing a half mile of traffic backed up behind someone going 10-20 miles under the speed limit, just because they felt like it. I've managed to ask some who do this, and most reply that they feel that they're going as fast as anyone else needs to go. One admitted that if she sees a drive coming up fast on the left, she merge in front of that car and go slowly, to slow them down, feeling that is an actual thing she's supposed to do. The arrogance of that staggers my imagination.
Yesterday night, I drove home from work, going past people driving 50 in a 70 zone, with an open far right lane. Everyone was stacked up in the far left lane behind people who couldn't grasp the idea of merging to the right to let faster cars go on by.

 

[LizzieMaine]

With a few exceptions, no-front-plate states are mostly in the South and Southwest. I suspect it's a cultural difference -- up here it wouldn't occur to us not to have a front plate, and you *will* be pulled over and cited for Failure To Display if you don't have one in place.

Law enforcement types in front-plate states will tell you the front plate makes it easier to use automated-photography systems to catch people who run stoplights or drive off from parking garages and gas stations without paying. Whatever.

 

[2jakes]

I bought in mint condition a 40s
license plate for my truck.
Only one was required by law
in that time period and is allowed
today.
But on occassions, I would get pulled over & had to explain to the
law.
To avoid future hassle, I created a
duplicate.
Not sure if it's legal, but I don't get stopped anymore by cops.
On occassions, I will get a thumbs up from folks who want to know about the engine or tell me
that they knew someone that drove one like it.

This is the kind of hassle which I
don't mind at all.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Many states have "Year Of Manufacture" laws that let you display original plates from the year your vehicle was made. Some allow you to register the actual old plates, as long as the number isn't already in use for someone else, but others, like my state, require you to carry the actual current "Antique Auto" plates in the vehicle and produce them on request of an officer. In most cases, states require that the plates be genuine original plates -- a two-plate state requires you to have and display an original matched pair -- and some are so strict that repainted, faded, or rusty plates will be rejected. You also can't use YOM plates if you have the car under a regular registration -- they're only allowed if you're registered as an Antique Auto or a Street Rod.

I've had original Maine 1941 plates on the Plodge for years and the local cops know me and know the car and have never had an issue with it. I keep one of my current plates on the package shelf, where it's visible from the back window, and the other is under the front seat.

 

[2jakes]

It's mostly when I go on trips away from local surroundings that I get pulled over.

I've noticed that folks are friendlier or nicer when I drive my old truck.
Not the case when I drive my 2003 Ford Explorer.
Perhaps it's the "road-rage" horn sound emitted from the Eddie Bauer.

My '46 has a full robust sound!