OT: License Plates

Has anyone ever noticed that the opening for the rear plate on most older
Toyotas is 13 inches wide and 7 inches tall? Did you ever wonder just why,
when most North American plates are 12 wide by 6 tall (306 x 153 mm)? And
most European plates are about 20 inches by 4 inches or so?

It's because Japanese plates are 13 x 7. Some vehicles, like my Previa,
are set up to accomidate all 3 sizes. But my Corolla won't take a long
European plate. Some European jurisdictions issue various sizes of 2-line
plates as well, most of which would fit the Corolla. As a matter of fact I
have an older European plate that would fit, it was cut down to fit an AMC
Pacer and is 13 x 6.

Does anyone remember the old pre-1956 plates before plates were standardized
at 12 inches wide by 6 inches high in North America? Nowadays if someone
wants a fancy design on a plate, it can be printed, but in those days it
took ingenuity to get anything fancy. Tennessee had a state shape,
Delaware had a porcelain plate and plates with riveted on numbers.
Connecticut had a small enough plate that I've seen it mistaken for a
motorcycle plate. . . Pennsylvania had the state outline on the plate.
Wisconsin had large plates, and plates with funny rounded corners from 1942
to 1952. Kansas, like Tennessee had a state-shaped plate. Montana, like
Pennsylvania had the state outline and 'Prison Made' on the plate. Wyoming
had its bucking bronco. Some of these desgings managed to make it onto the
12 by 6 standardized plates later . . .

Charles of Kankakee

On Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:22:04 -0500, Charles @ Kankakee wrote:
[color=blue]
> Has anyone ever noticed that the opening for the rear plate on most older
> Toyotas is 13 inches wide and 7 inches tall? Did you ever wonder just why,
> when most North American plates are 12 wide by 6 tall (306 x 153 mm)? And
> most European plates are about 20 inches by 4 inches or so?
>
> It's because Japanese plates are 13 x 7. Some vehicles, like my Previa,
> are set up to accomidate all 3 sizes. But my Corolla won't take a long
> European plate. Some European jurisdictions issue various sizes of 2-line
> plates as well, most of which would fit the Corolla. As a matter of fact I
> have an older European plate that would fit, it was cut down to fit an AMC
> Pacer and is 13 x 6.[/color]

Oh.My.God. A WHAT!?!?!?!
(My roomate had one in college. When I had a 'date' I used to ask him if I
could borrow the 'playpen', due to the fact the front seats would slot
right in with the rears...)
[color=blue]
>
> Does anyone remember the old pre-1956 plates before plates were standardized
> at 12 inches wide by 6 inches high in North America? Nowadays if someone
> wants a fancy design on a plate, it can be printed, but in those days it
> took ingenuity to get anything fancy. Tennessee had a state shape,
> Delaware had a porcelain plate and plates with riveted on numbers.
> Connecticut had a small enough plate that I've seen it mistaken for a
> motorcycle plate. . . Pennsylvania had the state outline on the plate.
> Wisconsin had large plates, and plates with funny rounded corners from 1942
> to 1952. Kansas, like Tennessee had a state-shaped plate. Montana, like
> Pennsylvania had the state outline and 'Prison Made' on the plate. Wyoming
> had its bucking bronco. Some of these desgings managed to make it onto the
> 12 by 6 standardized plates later . . .
>
> Charles of Kankakee[/color]