First ticket.


Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
And further more folks that ran with a front plate had overheaing problems and were advised to remove it.

About 5 years ago I conveyed that little factoid to the WSP Captain who was in charge of authorizing front plate exemptions here in Washington St. His reply? "I'm not buying it." 'Sent him pix showing how much of the radiator the plate would block and the whole 9 yards. 'Didn't matter. 'No exemption.

Soooooooo, I told him he might just as well pick up the phone, call his boys up north and tell 'em to be on the lookout for me 'cause I wasn't gunna drill holes in a $200K car - nor was I gunna battle overheating problems simply to satisfy Olympia...especially given the fact the state doesn't apply the front plate law equally to everyone (per post #10 above).

Aaaaaaand, as far as I know, #1079 still has no holes in its nose to this very day.
 

BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
About 5 years ago I conveyed that little factoid to the WSP Captain who was in charge of authorizing front plate exemptions here in Washington St. His reply? "I'm not buying it." 'Sent him pix showing how much of the radiator the plate would block and the whole 9 yards. 'Didn't matter. 'No exemption.

Soooooooo, I told him he might just as well pick up the phone, call his boys up north and tell 'em to be on the lookout for me 'cause I wasn't gunna drill holes in a $200K car - nor was I gunna battle overheating problems simply to satisfy Olympia...especially given the fact the state doesn't apply the front plate law equally to everyone (per post #10 above).

Aaaaaaand, as far as I know, #1079 still has no holes in its nose to this very day.

I don't think this was ever a big concern for you. Given the amount of time your FGT was off of your property, the cops would have about zero chance of ticketing you for no front plate.
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
I knew I shudda included a "shuddup" in your direction before I hit "post"...
 

RPM217

2005 white/blue stripe
Jun 18, 2010
1,658
Rye Brook, New York
I don't think this was ever a big concern for you. Given the amount of time your FGT was off of your property, the cops would have about zero chance of ticketing you for no front plate.
Wait, EP actually drives his car, I thought it was just for looking at!:bang
 

Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
Wait, EP actually drives his car, I thought it was just for looking at!:bang

He drove t home from the dealership. I think he may have driven it back once a year for service (service based on time not milage)... or did you have it trailered back to the shop, EP? Luckily he spent considerable time contemplating the driving experience so he can offer many quips about ownership.

Relax, I'm kidding! Your just an easy target.
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
May each of you discover your wives and girlfriends had a chance meeting and "talked" over the weekend.
 

Thugboat

GT Owner
Jan 20, 2009
851
Humble Texas
Guys,

I do not put front tags on hardly any of my Daily Drivers, just the trucks. My wife has been stopped a couple of times and being the quick witted salesman she is, usually just smiles and tells them " My husband was going to put that on last weekend but he doesn't know much about cars and he couldn't find a hammer or any nails." The last officer told her to go home and get it done, no ticket, and if her husband tried to use a hammer & nails "Get a new husband" LOL

Larry
 

33Bravo

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Nov 3, 2006
688
Minneapolis, MN
I've talked my way out of more tickets than I ever should have... most of them for "real" issues.

Not on this one...

I talked to a different cop this morning.. he said they typically use no front plates as a reason to pull someone over. He was kind of surprised that I got a ticket.

Its $108 - not a moving violation - and no requirements to show repair.

Still......
 

viva gt

GT Owner
Sep 15, 2010
419
toronto canada
already been warned a few times. didn't want to, but, i broke down and installed the front plate. had a local machine shop fab up a bracket that is attached to the splitter. it was designed to follow, somewhat, the angle of the front end. i then placed a light smoke tinted cover over the plate. doesn't look to bad. way nicer without plate.
purchase a spare splitter for future replacement.
cops around here are a pain.
 

Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
May each of you discover your wives and girlfriends had a chance meeting and "talked" over the weekend.

Brutal!
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
'Best ya don't mess with us old fellers, Skippy!
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
...i then placed a light smoke tinted cover over the plate. doesn't look to bad. way nicer without plate.

Doing that around here would getcha nailed too. As would placing your front plate up on the dash OR taping a life-like photocopy of the plate to the lower right hand corner of the windshield (no scratches). Meanwhile, as you set at the side of the road getting written up, 3,682 various motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds zip by ya...none of which is displaying a front plate. In fact, if you were pulled over by a motorcycle LEO - HIS BIKE DOESN'T DISPLAY ONE EITHER.


cops around here are a pain.

There's only one LEO who fits that discription in my area...and everybody knows who he is - INCLUDING his fellow LEOs. The rest of the 'crew' are guys who are just doing their jobs. Yeah, they'll give ya a ticket if you're 'asking' for one, but, hey...
 

w.a.nelson

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Feb 29, 2008
1,096
Asbury, NJ and Bourne, MA
Bad luck! I think you are right about just paying the non-moving violation.

I'm always worried about being in the same situation, but I'll be damned if I will drill the holes to mount the factory bracket. What a horse**** design for such a great car!

I carry the plate and the tow-hook bracket mount in the boot, and hope I can talk my way out of it by saying " I must have forgotten to put if back on after getting off the track. Track won't let you leave it on for safety reasons, etc." Hope I never have to try that lame approch.

This year at the Barn at GT Joey's, there were a father and son who had a retractable bracket that bolted on the splitter underneath.
It seemed to be a good application on the father's Ferrari, but I'm not so sure about the GT. The baracket - sans plate- that was mounted to the GT had some severe signs of rubbing on the pavement, and the plate wasn't mounted. Looks like you might do some serious damage to the plate if you went that way.

The company makes a fancy version that is electrically powered, and has a remote switch like a key fob. I guess the idea is, while the LEO is walking up to your window, you push the remote and then say, " of course there is a plate there officer"!

The GT guys were going to mount this unit on the GT, but when they went to test it first, it proved to be defective. It's cable-driven, and the cables were snarled and would not work properly. Don't know what that says about the engineering of the thing. I do know that it says the GT Guys know their stuff by testing first. Those guys are the GREATEST!

If anyone is interested, the company is Altec Products, at altecproducts.com - 800-797-9035. I went on their web site, but couldn't find out much about this unit. They had a picture, but no details and no price, so I passed.
 

33Bravo

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Nov 3, 2006
688
Minneapolis, MN
How sweet would that be? Really officer? It was there this morning - let me see... Lookie lookie!
 

Tiny

GT Owner
Feb 19, 2012
76
Silicon Valley
I don't run front plates on 6 cars and to date no issue with LEO's in many many years....in fact my last ticket 2 yrs ago in my 997.2 Turbo was a radar situation where I was coming up an on-ramp (hwy 92 from Halfmoon Bay on to 280 South) and it was 4 LEO's (2 for south bound, 2 for north bound) doing a speed trap, but not looking for on-ramp nuts like me...but they were near the top of the ramp and one heard me coming (butterfly valve bypass exhaust) and lit me up at 92 mph on the ramp....pulled me over and was super nice, even said he'd have let me go except his 3 buddies would know so wrote me for 80 and ignored altogether no front plate. My other story was just within days of taking delivery of my GT from Shelby...no front plate of course and that bizarre temporary hologram tag in the back from Arkansas since this was an MSO car and I'm the first registered owner. Driving thru Saratoga downtown (just a street really) and a Sheriff and Cal CHP are parked along the street leaning on their cars, drinking coffee and chatting....trying to keep my no muffler x-pipe GT sounding quiet but nothing I can do about no front plate.....I watch my review mirror and they looked real hard but didn't move by the time they were out of my site, so proceeded up Hwy 9 to Skyline but kept it within 5 mph of the limit to be safe...few minutes later they are both coming up behind me, both with lights on!!! I'm like WTF....very few places to pull over on this road so we have to go a while...then since they know the road the Sherif in front passes me and they book end me while I pull over...I was starting to think their must be a stolen grey exotic car and so they think this is it....my window is down, CHP is in back and gets out and right away is saying "don't worry, it's all good"...he tells me you know you have no front plate, and no to mention he has no idea what that thing is in back that's where a license is suppose to be (thanks Shelby :))...but that since he had cause to pull me over he did so that they could check out the GT....they weren't sure what it was (no stripes) and wanted to check it out...so no ticket and 45 min with the clamshell open and two new LEO friends!

ok, so stories over....the front plate thing is a long time problem with my car buddies....most of us have a foldaway mount from beneath bracket or two at home that we temporarily use when needed...if you had to get one on, this is the way to go...various people out there making them but here's one source


http://www.swiftmotorsports.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=362

Tiny
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
33B, Tiny, 'Bill', et al,

I was pulled over ONCE for no front plate...a north bound WSP (I was headed south) radioed a WSP parked south of me who in turn did the Hawaii Five-O thing. He gave me 'the speech' and asked me if I was aware of the front plate law. I told him yep, I was, however the factory didn't provide holes for mounting a front plate and I had no intention of CREATING holes in a $200K car in order to comply with the front plate law. Then I asked him, "If this was YOUR car - would YOU?" He said, "'Good point. Have a nice day. Drive safe", and that was the end of that.

I just tell it like it is rather than try to concoct a b.s. story I'm hoping a LEO will 'buy'. Chances are he's/they've already heard 99.999999999999999999999999999% of 'em at least 50 times that day alone anyway, so why bother? Those guys weren't born yesterday afternoon.:biggrin :thumbsup
 

Tiny

GT Owner
Feb 19, 2012
76
Silicon Valley
EP, totally agree....actually have a lot of LEO friends, they prefer people to just call it like it is...."yes, you pulled me over because I was doing 92" works better than BS or attitude :)

33B, Tiny, 'Bill', et al,

I was pulled over ONCE for no front plate...a north bound WSP (I was headed south) radioed a WSP parked south of me who in turn did the Hawaii Five-O thing. He gave me 'the speech' and asked me if I was aware of the front plate law. I told him yep, I was, however the factory didn't provide holes for mounting a front plate and I had no intention of CREATING holes in a $200K car in order to comply with the front plate law. Then I asked him, "If this was YOUR car - would YOU?" He said, "'Good point. Have a nice day. Drive safe", and that was the end of that.

I just tell it like it is rather than try to concoct a b.s. story I'm hoping a LEO will 'buy'. Chances are he's/they've already heard 99.999999999999999999999999999% of 'em at least 50 times that day alone anyway, so why bother? Those guys weren't born yesterday afternoon.:biggrin :thumbsup
 

HIRISC

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Mar 14, 2007
259
Minneapolis, MN
I've talked my way out of more tickets than I ever should have... most of them for "real" issues.

Not on this one... I talked to a different cop this morning.. he said they typically use no front plates as a reason to pull someone over. He was kind of surprised that I got a ticket.

Its $108 - not a moving violation - and no requirements to show repair.

Still......

LOL. I'm laughing with you.

It's chicken sh*t probably cause.

I guess the guy was bored and/or doesn't like red cars and/or was told by his equally chicken sh*t duty commander to go write anything he could.

As you know, the local LE community seems to have taken a liking to my red car too.

In my 9 month ownership:

Stop #1 - Equally CS stop in Chaska - land of the truly bored cops - for no front plate. He offered to issue a fix-it. It was the last day before snow flew with no chance at getting a plate on, so I told him to write it.
3c0433c8.jpg


Stop #2 - A Carver County Sheriff who saw my car, then 'heard' my car, but couldn't get a lock. Asked how fast I was going. I replied 'faster than I should have been'. He agreed. Gave me a verbal warning.
b41e8517.jpg


Stop #3 - A Three Rivers Park Police illegally (no jurisdiction) pulled me over on a State highway because I was going 3mph faster than she was (65mph in a 65mph zone in the left lane). She wrote me a 'warning' and told me that 'I had to pull you over. I have to send a message'.

Yeah, message received: you're a power-tripping Park cop with no authority to do anything, really.
df98ff57.jpg


Buy the plate thing that screws into your tow hook, assemble it with your front plate and put the whole thing in the storage compartment. If you get pulled over, play stupid and offer to put it back on.

/rant
 
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gtinmyblood

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 23, 2007
735
Mesa Az/Aspen Co
Phoenix cops used to write me for no plate in previous cars that I owned that had no place for a plate save drilling holes in precious body parts. Then one day a few years back the state decided that inn order to save money they would no longer require a front plate. No problem anymore. Maybe the solution lies in writing your state legislature with an idea on how to cut unnecessary government spending...
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
Maybe the solution lies in writing your state legislature with an idea on how to cut unnecessary government spending...


'Done that.................with predictable results. :frown

(Evidently Olympia figgers it can make more $$$ from fines than from "savings"...and they're probably right since fines can always be increased. 'Much harder to "increase" savings.)