<VV> original plates on a collector car

[Kent Sullivan]

I was able to do a similar thing with the car I was talking about earlier
(http://www.corvairkid.com/610767001602.htm). Washington issued new plates
every year through 1963, then decided to hold on to that design for awhile.
The Legislature eventually decided that they didn't like the state name
being abbreviated (WASH.) so mandated that a new plate be designed with the
name spelled out. "Common knowledge" 40 years later was that this new design
plate started being used in 1967 and the DMV's chart reflected this. My
car's original plates were the "'67" design though and it took me quite
awhile to convince the DMV to let me put them back on the car.

The original plates had been changed in the mid-1980s when the state
mandated that all old plates be removed and replaced with reflectorized
plates. Fortunately the owner at that time saved the original plates and I
was able to pursue re-installing them because the state by then had a "year
of manufacture" (now called "restored") plates program similar to what
others have described.

If you're not totally asleep by now <g>, you can read even more details
about the saga here: http://www.corvairkid.com/66waplates.htm.

I am *still* (14 years later) working with the WA DMV main office to get
them to update their official collateral (for DMV "retail" offices) so that
others don't have to go through this rigmarole. I'm nothing if not
persistent!

--Kent
-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of Wrsssatty at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 8:30 AM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: <VV> original plates on a collector car

<One of my Corvairs came with its original plates and I have been  very
thankful that the previous two owners did not keep them. ***"By original  
to a car" I mean the very first set of plates the car ever had.>

This presents an interesting question.  I've long dreamt of locating  my 
big sister's '63 Monza.  She bought it new at a year-end close-out sale  in 
late August.  I still have its original plates but they were for '64 as
West 
Virginia, in those days, was issuing '64 plates by late August '63 when she

titled it (she bought it in Ohio to save on sales tax).  I wonder, if I  
found and acquired the car, if I were for some reason to go back to West  
Virginia to register it, if I could persuade the West Virginia DMV  that the
'64 
plates should be allowed for this '63 model car since they were  afterall 
the first plates that the W.Va. DMV issued for the car when it was  brand
new?
 
~Bil Stanley