Studebaker Cover Car - Not So Great

[DEEPNHOCK]

Remember the old adage "Even bad press is good press"?

Not sure if I like the tone set here.......

https://www.semasan.com/driving-force/quarterly-article/fall-2019

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

Hmmmm... I think that the producers of this magazine may have confused the message they're trying to out. All it has done for most car folks is piss them right off.

[Dick LeRoux]

I think Jake is missing the point. "Eyesore" is not a comment on the vehicle, it's a statement as to defacing the front of the car with a license plate. Read the article concerning states that are moving to require just (1) license plate, in the rear. Thankfully, here in WA classic cars only need (1) rear license plate which saves the front of my '63 Avanti from being defaced with a front license plate. Show me an Avanti that looks better with a front license plate. Doesn't exist.

[mch]

I'm totally in agreement. My cars are registered in Fl with original plates that shows the year too, 1963 and 2 for 1964. Florida is a 1 plate State and with authorization you can get an original plate once Tallahassee certifies it.

[rockne10]

I believe PA has been a single plate state since 1956.

[Hallabutt]

I haven't read the article, but agree that a front license is a distraction. The first couple of times that I showed my Four Season, I had a front plate affixed, but every time I looked at the front of the car that free standing plate just looked wrong. I'm just glad that the judges were able to overlook the "eyesore." It was removed twenty five years ago, and I don't know what would make me want to put it back on.

I always enjoy seeing Jerry Kurtz's 37 President coupe. It's a real show stopper wherever it's shown.

[bensherb]

Here in California, we have to have both front and rear plates. Back in the 80's and before you would get a ticket for not having a front plate, I even got one on my car while it was parked in the driveway with the front tward the house. It's also not legal to have ANY kind of covering over the plate, guess how I know. Back then I regularly got "fix it " tickets for any number of innocuous things, like not having a right side door mirror, having door window "wind deflectors", and my vehicle being too low (even though it was not, it just looked as though it was, I dropped the fender openings 4"). For some reason, in the early 90's the police quit paying any attention to vehicles, particularly minor vehicular infractions. I haven't heard anyone complain about being pulled over for stuff like that in decades, and even vary rarely for speeding (traffic typically moves at 10-15+ mph over the posted limit here). I guess the police have more important things to do these days. Unless I go to the police station I very rarely even see a police car any more.

Heck, I've had two different plates on my VW for over 15 years, with not a look. To make it even worse, the front plate is black with yellow lettering, while the rear (correct plate) is reflective white with blue lettering. And the car attracts attention.

[Skip Lackie]

Agree with Jeff's comment about the front plate (which is a replica, by the way) on that CE.

To the article: SEMA has been riding this front-plate hobby horse for some time, driven largely by their street-rod and off-road base. Nearly every car made has had some sort of provision for a front plate, so the horror story of drilling holes in pristine bumpers is a bit overdrawn. It is true that about a third of the states have had only a single plate for decades, but law enforcement officials in the two-plate states strongly oppose going to a single plate. (DMVs tend to favor single plates for budgetary reasons.) A couple of states went to single plates as an experiment in recent years, but went back to two plates after stolen car recovery rates dropped precipitously. The police see dozens of plates coming at them for every one they follow in traffic.

While I agree that Avantis look better without a front plate, I tend to agree with the cops -- front plates are useful. And for the record: I got a $40 ticket a few years ago for not having a front plate on my Avanti II.

[rockne10]

Back at the Lancaster Meet in 2008 my '51 got a two point deduction for not having a front plate bracket!
I didn't really care, as I got a 2nd Place anyway; more than I expected.

[JRoberts]

North Carolina is a one plate state. That said it used to be that municipalities could assign a small front plate with the municipality's name on it. As I recall this indicated the payment of local taxes on the vehicle. I am personally glad we are a one plate state. The front plate just seems to booger up the look of the front of a vehicle. That said I'61 do have a '61 plate on the front of my ' 61 Champ. Since it has that work truck look, I figured the rare plate would be appropriate.

[studegary]

Agree with Jeff's comment about the front plate (which is a replica, by the way) on that CE.

To the article: SEMA has been riding this front-plate hobby horse for some time, driven largely by their street-rod and off-road base. Nearly every car made has had some sort of provision for a front plate, so the horror story of drilling holes in pristine bumpers is a bit overdrawn. It is true that about a third of the states have had only a single plate for decades, but law enforcement officials in the two-plate states strongly oppose going to a single plate. (DMVs tend to favor single plates for budgetary reasons.) A couple of states went to single plates as an experiment in recent years, but went back to two plates after stolen car recovery rates dropped precipitously. The police see dozens of plates coming at them for every one they follow in traffic.

While I agree that Avantis look better without a front plate, I tend to agree with the cops -- front plates are useful. And for the record: I got a $40 ticket a few years ago for not having a front plate on my Avanti II.

Skip - I have to disagree with your point about cars having a provision for a front plate. Many newer cars are not built this way. I have sold new cars in a state with a two plate requirement. The cars were delivered with a front plate kit and the dealer had to install it. I have also bought many cars from states that only required one plate and had to go to the appropriate dealership and buy the front plate kit and install it on the car (including drilling holes).
I do agree that front plates are good from a law enforcement standpoint, especially now with the automatic plate readers in police cars.

[Hawklover]

Back at the Lancaster Meet in 2008 my '51 got a two point deduction for not having a front plate bracket!
I didn't really care, as I got a 2nd Place anyway; more than I expected.

The individual who "gifted' you with a two point reduction is a moron:-(

[Hawklover]

North Carolina is a one plate state. That said it used to be that municipalities could assign a small front plate with the municipality's name on it. As I recall this indicated the payment of local taxes on the vehicle. I am personally glad we are a one plate state. The front plate just seems to booger up the look of the front of a vehicle. That said I'61 do have a '61 plate on the front of my ' 61 Champ. Since it has that work truck look, I figured the rare plate would be appropriate.

Joe, Florida is also a one plate state. Btw, the state no longer requires annual inspections, and that pesky window sticker. I believe it has been almost 50 years that Florida halted annual inspections.

[Hawklover]

I'm totally in agreement. My cars are registered in Fl with original plates that shows the year too, 1963 and 2 for 1964. Florida is a 1 plate State and with authorization you can get an original plate once Tallahassee certifies it.

In Florida one must purchase the specific year of vehicle plate, so if one has a '63 vehicle he has to purchase a '63 Florida plate on e-bay or other entity selling old license plates, then one has to obtain from DMV all the requisite bureaucratic paper work, fill it out, then mail it AND the old Florida "tag" to DMV for certification.

[rockne10]

I have also bought many cars from states that only required one plate and had to go to the appropriate dealership and buy the front plate kit and install it on the car (including drilling holes).

Since chrome bumpers disappeared, virtually all vehicles manufactured with plastic bumper covers only have little dimples where the front plate bracket would be mounted.