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GT front license plate setup in California

5K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  FormulaDynamics 
#1 ·
This has probably been posted many times but I wanted to get input and pics from the California folks. Since California requires front license plates and the NorCal area is notorious for ticketing cars without, I wanted to see if anyone had an elegant ascetically pleasing setup. Please blur out your license number ?
 
#2 ·
Had ticket few times with my Corvette, I went to highway patrol office by just double side taping it and pay fine and took plate off right away. But I never got pulled over in all 3 maserati's for missing front plate. Guess North is more strict than here
 
#3 ·
I drove my Porsches in California ( bay area / peninsula ) daily, since 1980 and was stopped only once and given a fix-it ticket. I did exactly what " jimmy912" mentioned in the above post. Have driven the Maserati without a front plate for two years now , also never stopped for that ... yet 0:) But it's really the luck of the draw, I have friends who received half a dozen citations in just a few years..
 
#4 ·
Front plate.... what a sticky wicket.

Drove Corvettes here in Oregon for many years (decades..). Never got bothered not having a front plate.. except when I went to the coast. Weird. And it was not local cops that ticketed me, rather it was the State Highway Patrol. But inland, even on I-5, I was never bothered.

Oregon has a law that states that if the car does not have a factory front plate mount, and there is no reasonable way to affix one, then you can slide. I realize that Maserati does have a mount available (legally they have to, otherwise they could not sell new cars in states requiring one), but if you show someone the front of a Maser it would be reasonable to assume that there is no way to mount a plate. I just hope the cops are not aware of Formula Dynamic's solution, because that would negate the "no reasonable way" argument.

Hans.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Oregon has a law that states that if the car does not have a factory front plate mount, and there is no reasonable way to affix one, then you can slide.
Hans.
Actually that same provision is also part of the vehicle code in California . Unfortunately most CHP and various city or county police departments ignore it, ( maybe deliberately to see how many people they can fool into just paying the tickets cost ) but you have to go to court to fight it. No one’s time is worth doing that instead of getting the correction sign off and the $ 25 fee . In addition to the double stick tape method , you can fuse the front plate or the plate bracket to a bolt which has matching threads to your tow hook tunnel , and screw it in when you need it , easily remove it when you don’t . Yes folks , I had that done on my Porsche plate after I had that one ticket , although never had to use it again . But it’s there if I need it . Haven’t done that for the Maserati plate , but I may ..IF I ever get stopped .
 
#9 · (Edited)
I ran a quick search but since there are more Porsches than insects ( and owners who participate in forums ) there are so many threads and posts one would have to look through, it’d take days . More than 30 pages of threads come up on either “ front license plates “ and /of “ California vehicle code “ search, which only means that one of the thousands of posts in one of those threads might have a reference to either topic . I just remember reading it at the time because it was something I posted after I got the ticket and had that response with the VC code reference . It’ll be easier to search the actual CVC itself ..I’ll do that sometime next week. I’m heading out for a few days business trip to SoCal. ( no, not with the GT, this time although I’ve done that a couple of times ) Ironically one of the first threads that came up on the forum was this video ( below ) of a retractable plate mount with remote control operation. Amazon sells those devices for Corvettes - they’re about $ 150 , my neighbor he one on his Vette , they make them for Porsches also, not sure if they have anything for Maseratis or Ferraris .

https://youtu.be/0uALhUr4Haw

The corvette one mounts underneath the car. It might work for the GT and other cars but not sure.
 
#10 ·
Current law CA VEH CODE

ARTICLE 1. Issuance of Licenses and Certificates to Manufacturers, Transporters, and Dealers [11700 - 11740] ( Article 1 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )

11713.17.
(a) Following the retail sale or lease of a motor vehicle for which the department issues two license plates, a dealer may not deliver the motor vehicle unless either of the following occurs:

(1) The motor vehicle is equipped with a bracket or other means of securing a front license plate.

(2) The dealer obtains a signed written acknowledgment from the person taking delivery of the motor vehicle acknowledging both of the following:

(A) The person expressly refused installation of a bracket or other means of securing the front license plate.

(B) The person understands that California law requires a license plate to be displayed from and securely fastened to the front of the motor vehicle and that the hardware necessary to securely fasten the front plate is available from the dealer.

(b) A manufacturer or distributor may not sell or distribute in this state a new motor vehicle for which the department issues two license plates, unless that motor vehicle is equipped or provided with a bracket or other means of securing the license plates.

(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 365, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)
 
#11 ·
Thanks for putting this up , good info. Revised from the one I saw more than a decade ago .
That said, no sports cars dealers ( Corvettes, McLarens , Ferraris, Maseratis, various Porsche models etc ) comply with provisions 1 or 2 of the law. And no sports cars manufacturers comply with provision 2 ( b ) . As for the buyer understanding the 2 ( B ) aspect, with the disclaimer that I’m not an attorney , I believe this “ that the hardware necessary to securely fasten the front plate is available from the dealer.“ is a loophole which can be argued , in light of the above mentioned 1 & 2 dealer and manufacturer unavailability of a fromt plate mounting set up.
 
#13 ·
When I purchased my 2 year old GT from the dealer, I was given a bracket and signed the CA form regarding not installing it. Over the last 50 years I havent had a front license plate on any vehicle. Ive been stopped once, on a city street, as they were in a maximum enforcement period to minimise other issues on that street. The city cop apologized the entire time he was citing me. Other times, I have been cited along with a parking ticket.
Price we pay to live in CA.
 
#14 ·
Yup, I think if you get stopped for something else , they’ll look for whatever they can tack on just to run up the revenue .. the time I was ticketed for my missing front plate on the Porsche was actually a pull over because the car’s windows were tinted too much for Ca standards ( I had bought the car from New Mexico , and didn’t bother to remove the tint ) There are so many miscellaneous vehicle code rules, I’d bet every person violates a dozen of them every single day. You may get stopped for some , ignored for others ..
 
#15 ·
Front plate mount GranTurismo from CravenSpeed

For my solution, I ended up going to Craven Speed in Portland. They put together a custom mix of front tow hook screw and a plate mount that spaced the front plate far enough off the grill so there was no rubbing.
https://www.cravenspeed.com/

I don't have the parts list, but they did enter it into their computer under Maserati so that they could find the parts for any future buyers.
Give them a call, and see what they can do.

I did modify their flat wrench on one end to fit the tow hook bolt diameter, as it only fit the bold head when securing the plate mount. I needed the other end of the wrench to fit the hex diameter of the bolt body to remove it from the tow hook hole. Four minutes with a grinder, and that was done.
 

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#16 ·
With apologies to everyone who has front license plates, nothing is worth putting ( and keeping ) an eyesore license plate in front of one of the most classic and beautiful car noses .. no more than one would diminish the beauty of a Ferrari nose, or McLaren, or DB or any other number of sublime automobiles. To me it’s well worth it even if you get stopped monthly and have to spend $ 25 every single time to pay the fine . IMO, a smal and justified price to pay for maintaining the purity of the front unhindered . Removable ones as noted in several posts here are the ideal option. But to each his own ..
 
#17 ·
We do offer direct fit license plate kits for the GT that are in stock, ready to ship :


Several dealers in CA and other areas offer them to customers as well. Simple way to be compliant. Some owners keep them in the trunk and install them if pulled over to help get out of the ticket just saying that they forgot to put it back on after the car wash but your mileage may vary on that one :)

Feel free to reach out to us by phone or email with any questions, happy to help!

Best Regards,
 

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#18 ·
I installed something very similar on my BMW F10 535. For the most part I didn’t want to mess up my front bumper and the off-set did not interfere with the grill cooling surface. It does look well made but I’m not sure about putting this on my GTS.

Are there any GTS out there that can share some photos? Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Personal luxury car
 
#20 ·
Here is a quick picture of the kit installed on a GT, the plate has many attachment points though so the plate can be moved up / down, left / right depending on where it's attached.

Feel free to reach out directly by phone or email with any questions and we'll be happy to help!

Best Regards,
 

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