Front license plate

[Ed M]

New to Avanti - have 3318, a 1981.  Maryland I where live requires a front plate, but the car did not come with a bracket.  I bought one of those rubberized magnets and stuck it to the bottom of the bumper, but it comes off at 10 MPH.  What does everyone do about this?

I was thinking of a couple of cable ties around the bumper, then cut them off when I am at a car show, then cable tie it back on for the trip home

Thanks

Ed

[mfg]

54 minutes ago, Ed M said:

New to Avanti - have 3318, a 1981.  Maryland I where live requires a front plate, but the car did not come with a bracket.  I bought one of those rubberized magnets and stuck it to the bottom of the bumper, but it comes off at 10 MPH.  What does everyone do about this?

I was thinking of a couple of cable ties around the bumper, then cut them off when I am at a car show, then cable tie it back on for the trip home

Thanks

Ed

Hello Ed, Congrats on your Avanti purchase!......There really is no place on the front of an Avanti where a license plate looks any good, but like you say, a front plate is sometimes mandatory.

The most 'conventional' location would be where the front bumper center cushion goes.....The factory drilled holes for the center cushion will line up perfectly with your license plate, then you can either eliminate the center cushion entirely, or re-install it over the plate....It will, however, obscure the very top area of the plate.

I offset the front plate on my '63, making up custom bracket that fastens to the left front bumper end....I still don't really like it though!

[rev ken]

I remove the center rubber bumper and install my plate there.  I remove the plate and reinstall the bumper at a show.

[Jim78]

Check the detail of your state antique motor vehicle regulations.  I found that, in the state of VA, two plates are required except  "...antique motor vehicles may display single license plates if the original manufacturer's design of the antique motor vehicles allows for use of only single license plates..."  I carry a copy of this section of the Motor Vehicle Code in the car, along with factory photos showing the front of the Avanti sans plate or mounting bracket.  I also carry the second plate to prove that it is not being used on another vehicle.  Perhaps MD has a similar provision in their code.

Truth be told, I've never had anyone question the "missing" front plate. 

If one felt compelled to use a front plate, a very simple bracket can be made to go behind the center rubber insert, to hold the plate just below the bumper. A slightly more complicated design could include a piano hinge in the bracket to allow the plate to swing back under the bumper for display purposes.  For you James Bond fans, the plate could be remotely deployed/retracted via a solenoid or cable mechanism.  😉

[Footer]

In Washington State I have a collector vehicle plate, a one time purchase that goes on the back only. There are restrictions so it won’t work for a daily driver. Looks like Maryland has an “historic vehicle” category but your car has to be fifty years old. The Chevy dealership I worked at in college used dealer plates with springs and clips the hooked on the rear bumper, never tried it on the front but it could probably be done to withstand the wind.

I agree the Avanti looks better without the front plate.   Mike

[Skip Lackie]

Maryland requires the display of two plates, with the sole exception that vehicles displaying YOM plates are allowed to mount only one plate IF it was a year (1955, 1956) that Maryland only issued a single plate.  That said, given the proximity of single-plate states like Pennsylvania and Delaware, the likelihood of getting a ticket while in motion is extremely small.  All that said, a few years ago I got a $40 ticket for no front plate while parked at a meter in Arlington, Va.

[Mike Sal]

The front plate on our '70 is offset to the passenger side.  I'll see if I can take a look at what the bracket looks like.  The car was sold new to someone in Ohio....not sure if they had 2 plates or not.

Mike Sal

[Ed M]

Thanks all

I might just go with the 2 cable ties and cut them each time I show the car

Ed

[MarcD]

Greetings from California. I live in the City and County of San Francisco, which requires front plates at the request of traffic camera contractors, who need the front plate image to extract the Court fines and fees.

My ‘66 Avanti II has the front plate attached to the passenger side bumper “end iron”, and while I wish it wasn’t necessary, it sits back of the bumper and is pretty unobtrusive.

[Mike Sal]

Looks like the bracket has one tab that sticks up & attaches to one bumper bolt. Appears to be a spacer that sets it back a little from the bumper also.  Looks like an O.E. grade bracket, not a thin aftermarket one.

Mike Sal