I recently put Year-of-Manufacture license plates on two of my vehicles, including my '61 Apache 'Mater Jr.'. I thought that I would share some information, to save others some aggravation, or make them aware of this option in Missouri. If you're in a different state, you'll have to see if your state has a similar program. I'll include a link below to the DOR web page that explains the program.
Until now, I've kept regular license plates on all of my old cars. People would ask me why I didn't use Missouri Historic plates, and save the hassle of a state safety inspection every two years. My usual reply was that I didn't mind someone looking over my handiwork, making sure my brakes, steering, etc. were all good.
Lately, the auto shop I use has gotten more and more sketchy. When I had them inspect my Alfa Romeo earlier this year, they failed it because of the rear brake pads. When I went to replace the pads, I discovered they had TRIPLE the minimum depth required by regulation. As few miles as I put on the Alfa in a year, those brakes should have passed at least two more inspections! More recently, I took my '76 Super Beetle to get inspected, and they were going to fail it because the power steering was leaking. It doesn't have power steering. We had to have an Entmoot of auto mechanics under the lift, to determine that in fact, it is manual steering. When my '60 Impala and '61 Apache came due for renewal, I decided it was time for a change.
In Missouri, our Department of Revenue (DOR) handles vehicle registration and licensing. They have a historic license plate program for vehicles 25 years or older. There are three types of historic plates: Historic License Plate, Personalized Historic License Plate, and Year of Manufacture License Plate. A MO Historic License Plate looks like a standard license plate, with the words HISTORIC VEHICLE (or HIST VEH, depending on the style of the year you get them) at the bottom. Personalized Historic License Plates look the same, but you can request a particular letter/number combination. A Year of Manufacture (YOM) License Plate has to match the model year of the vehicle it's affixed to.
The advantages of a Historic License Plate are:
- It's a permanent registration, and doesn't have to be renewed every two years (personalized historic plates do need renewal)
- You don't have to have a motor vehicle safety inspection
- You save money by not having to get the vehicle inspected and renewed every two years, and due to the lack of renewal, many people do not claim the vehicles on their personal property taxes. (I don't know if that's a good idea or not...I'm just saying)
There are restrictions:
- Drive to and from exhibitions and educational events with no mileage restrictions
- Drive to repair facilities within 100 miles
- Up to 1,000 miles per calendar year for personal use (you're supposed to keep a log in the vehicle when it's driven on any state road. I've talked to numerous law enforcement people, and they don't know / don't care about the log; I put a little notebook and pencil in the glovebox, just to be safe)
One thing that kept me from YOM plates, is that it's often difficult to find a matched pair of plates at a swap meet. However I read the state regulation, and discovered that with YOM, you only need one plate on the rear of the vehicle! There is one more catch with YOM plates. It cost me $100 to learn this lesson, so I want to share it with you. The DOR web page refers obliquely about making sure the license plate number you want is available...but there's more to it! The YOM plate you want to use has to conform to certain Letter/Number (L/#) conventions, in order for the computer to accept it. This causes a problem when you're wanting to buy YOM plates at a swap meet or online!
I bought a plate for my '60 Impala online that had a number combo that I liked. The pattern was LNN-NNN, ending in 666...pretty cool for a hot rod, right? There are 3 ways to check the validity of the plate you want to use: submit a web form (they're supposed to email you back in 3-4 weeks; I never heard back at all), phone call (I was stuck in phone hell, and never got a live person), or personally go to the DOR office on the 3rd floor of the Truman building in Jeff City. I finally did the 3rd, and found that the $100 plate wasn't a valid pattern. There is nowhere the pattern info is public-facing...it's a little green piece of paper they pull out of a folder and check against your plate. I can tell you that LNN-NNN is no good. NNN-NNN works, as well as NN-NNN (which was the pattern for my '61). If memory serves, LLL-NNN and LLN-LLN both are acceptable. The reason I share this is that on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and other online sites selling license plates, LNN-NNN is a very common combo, and it is INVALID and will not be accepted by the DOR!
I've attached a photo of my YOM plate on my '61 Apache. I bought a different plate, and now have one on my '60 Impala too!
I hope this helps.
DOR Historic Plate Page-Kevin
RUNNING EDIT:
I have compiled a list of known good letter/number patterns, where L=letter and N=number:
NN-NNN
NNN-NNN
LLN-LNL
NLL-LNN
LNL-NNN
LLL-NNN
Just a reminder: For the love of God, do not buy any LNN-NNN plates! These are very common online, and are NOT able to be registered with the DoR.
