License plates?

[gbear14275]

Hey Ive always assumed that the long license plates on the front of these cars were european plates but i dont think i have been paying attention. Can someone explain what type of plates these are? are they autocross or modified plates?

http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/13879shoot2fullsize_005-med.jpg
http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/13879shoot2fullsize_004-med.jpg
(ive stole some pictures from a thread. Guy on here named one is selling his car for 5K so check him out. hopefully that will keep him from hating me for stealing his pics. :))

sorry if this is a newb question but hopefully im not the only one oblivious.

[BurntSky]

Those are European plates. On the left (in the blue area) is the letter abbreviation for the country (e.g. "D" means Deutschland (Germany) and "GB" means Great Britian). Almost all countries have the same blue/white plate layout, but plates from Netherlands and some from Great Britian are yellow, instead of white (I have no idea why... maybe someone else does?)

[gbear14275]

but that looks like a US plate on the back of the car. This looks like the same car can you have both?

[Slick Willi]

i wanna know y he is sellin it i love that car and if i owned it i would never sell it, think he would trade?

[gbear14275]

heres the link to his sale thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337971

[steves325i]

In states where you are only required to run one license plate in the back, some people like to run the european plate in the front for looks. I personally prefer the plate delete, but since i live in VA, i need my plates on the front and back. :rolleyes

[gbear14275]

How do you get a european license plate and are they legal? If you have to go through the process of licensing your car in europe that sounds like a lot of hassle and if you dont...well that seems like some sort of identity fraud or something?

[BurntSky]

How do you get a european license plate and are they legal? If you have to go through the process of licensing your car in europe that sounds like a lot of hassle and if you dont...well that seems like some sort of identity fraud or something?

steves325i is right; some people just run them for show when they aren't required to have a front plate. Occassionally you'll see people running both plates (european for looks, state for legal reasons). Since the US doesn't recognize european plates as legal vehicle identification its not any sort of fraud. As long as your vehicle conforms to the rest of state/federal laws, I don't see that there's anything they can do about it. Granted, some law enforcement officers may give the driver a little crap for it, I would doubt they'd actually be able to issue a citation for it.

[ronin009]

How do you get a european license plate and are they legal? If you have to go through the process of licensing your car in europe that sounds like a lot of hassle and if you dont...well that seems like some sort of identity fraud or something?

most of the Euro plates that you see are just vanity pieces found on ebay or something like that, they are not really registed anywhere overseas. A few of the Euro plates are from people who have taken ED, I believe that you get temporary Euro plates while you are drving the car around over there and then can keep them when you send it back to the states.

[Mrmotorwerk]

Those are European plates. On the left (in the blue area) is the letter abbreviation for the country (e.g. "D" means Deutschland (Germany) and "GB" means Great Britian). Almost all countries have the same blue/white plate layout, but plates from Netherlands and some from Great Britian are yellow, instead of white (I have no idea why... maybe someone else does?)


Well the front plate in that photo is a fake European Union plate, hence the blue vertical with the Circle of stars. The alphanumeric portion is obviously fake and for show.

The Yellow plate is for the rear and the white plate is for the front, at least that is how it is used in Great Britan and some other European countries.

About the real European plates themselves, lots of European countries' governments do not actually issue the plates, but just the number. It is up to the owner of the vehicle to get the plates made at certified license plate makers.

Most states in the US now require a front license plate. I believe its main purpose is to help out the photo police. Eurostyle plates are strictly for show purposes only and were never legal to have on the street. The fact that one has not been pulled over for having an Eurostyle plate does not mean it's legal, it merely means that that individual has not had law enforcement to take the time to write it up.

And it is still not legal to have on the front, even if you had the Eurostyle plate made with your actual license plate numbers!

[BurntSky]

Well the front plate in that photo is a fake European Union plate, hence the blue vertical with the Circle of stars. The alphanumeric portion is obviously fake and for show.

The Yellow plate is for the rear and the white plate is for the front, at least that is how it is used in Great Britan and some other European countries.

Maybe I misunderstood you, but how does the blue vertical and circle of stars make it fake? The real plates look exactly like that; for instance, the German plates have a 'D' surrounded by the stars of the EU in the blue, vertical area.

Also, thanks for the explanation of the yellow plates. However, I thought I remembered seeing yellow plates on the front too... at least on cars from Netherlands, although, I could be wrong.