License Plate News

[StogieGuy7]

Michigan has brought back the old blue and white plates which were in circulation from 1983 to 2007 two years after bringing back the 1965 to 1967 Water-Winter Wonderland plate. These plates are the ones that say Great Lakes at the bottom. I saw one for the first time in about 15 years today.

I'm not seeing anything on the MI Dept of State website indicating a new version of that plate. Yes, it could be so new that the website hasn't caught up. But, if that's the case, how could the owner of the one you saw have ordered it?

[Flint1979]

Michigan has brought back the old blue and white plates which were in circulation from 1983 to 2007 two years after bringing back the 1965 to 1967 Water-Winter Wonderland plate. These plates are the ones that say Great Lakes at the bottom. I saw one for the first time in about 15 years today.

I'm not seeing anything on the MI Dept of State website indicating a new version of that plate. Yes, it could be so new that the website hasn't caught up. But, if that's the case, how could the owner of the one you saw have ordered it?

Because it's a car from a year the plate was in service which can still be used on those cars.

[StogieGuy7]

Michigan has brought back the old blue and white plates which were in circulation from 1983 to 2007 two years after bringing back the 1965 to 1967 Water-Winter Wonderland plate. These plates are the ones that say Great Lakes at the bottom. I saw one for the first time in about 15 years today.

I'm not seeing anything on the MI Dept of State website indicating a new version of that plate. Yes, it could be so new that the website hasn't caught up. But, if that's the case, how could the owner of the one you saw have ordered it?

Because it's a car from a year the plate was in service which can still be used on those cars.

So, it's not really brought back by the DMV. Just a survivor.  Those are cool. Retro plates are a thing now with many states (like yours) bringing back old designs. CA (gold on black) and UT (white on black like they had in the 60s) have two of my favorites of that type now. MI's is up there too.

[JCinSummerfield]

Just saw an article on mlive.com.  Michigan IS bringing back the blue & white plate, as well as the black and white plate.  Also coming down the pike is the 1976 red, white & blue bicentennial plate, updated for America's semiquincentennial coming in 2026.

[doglover44]

Mi has always had the coolest plates in my opinion

[Flint1979]

Michigan has brought back the old blue and white plates which were in circulation from 1983 to 2007 two years after bringing back the 1965 to 1967 Water-Winter Wonderland plate. These plates are the ones that say Great Lakes at the bottom. I saw one for the first time in about 15 years today.

I'm not seeing anything on the MI Dept of State website indicating a new version of that plate. Yes, it could be so new that the website hasn't caught up. But, if that's the case, how could the owner of the one you saw have ordered it?

Because it's a car from a year the plate was in service which can still be used on those cars.

So, it's not really brought back by the DMV. Just a survivor.  Those are cool. Retro plates are a thing now with many states (like yours) bringing back old designs. CA (gold on black) and UT (white on black like they had in the 60s) have two of my favorites of that type now. MI's is up there too.

It's coming back as well as a few others. I think they are all pretty cool plates I like the Water-Winter Wonderland one the best.

[mgk920]

IIRC, California still has plates from as early as 1964 that are still valid (current number series, too) from when the car was first registered as 'new'.

Mike

[Scott5114]

These are probably year-of-manufacture programs (e.g. you can display a 1968 plate on a car made in 1968).

[tigerwings]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/11/decades-later-three-classic-michigan-license-plates-will-return.html

[Flint1979]

Personally I'm keeping my Water-Winter Wonderland plate. I like that plate better than the 1983-2007 blue and white one.

[Ted$8roadFan]

I wonder if it's an indictment of the state's current issue license plate if so many are electing to register (or re-register) their vehicles with vintage plates. Full disclosure: I probably would. 

[Flint1979]

Michigan's Pure Michigan license plates are pure ugly.

[tigerwings]

If I ever move back over the border I would to put my Great Lakes splendor plates back on. Have 3 in the garage.

[mgk920]

Michigan's Pure Michigan license plates are pure ugly.

I see enough of them here in NE Wisconsin (driven by Yoopers) to agree and consider that to be a main reason why the state eliminated the front plates, they're that bad.

Mike

[The Nature Boy]

Michigan's Pure Michigan license plates are pure ugly.

Changing your state name to a tourism logo is usually a bad look. This also applies to Florida.

[Flint1979]

Michigan's Pure Michigan license plates are pure ugly.

I see enough of them here in NE Wisconsin (driven by Yoopers) to agree and consider that to be a main reason why the state eliminated the front plates, they're that bad.

Mike

It was long before that when they eliminated them sometime in the early 80's when they were using the black and white plates.

[Flint1979]

Michigan's Pure Michigan license plates are pure ugly.

Changing your state name to a tourism logo is usually a bad look. This also applies to Florida.

I also dislike the Welcome to Pure Michigan signs at the state border. I didn't mind it when it said Welcome to Michigan Great Lakes Great Times.

[TheCatalyst31]

These are probably year-of-manufacture programs (e.g. you can display a 1968 plate on a car made in 1968).

California has those too, but they also haven't fully replaced existing license plates since 1963, meaning it's technically possible for a yellow-on-black 1963 base plate to still be on the road. Of course, in practice there are very few plates that hung on that long. A few other states are the same way; I think in Oregon you can still have a plate issued in 1956 on the road.

[jakeroot]

The actual Pure Michigan plate is a really good, simple design. I would keep it, but swap out "Pure Michigan" for block-style "MICHIGAN" on top, in the same shade of blue as the bottom, and then something else in the blue wave on the bottom.

Simple plate designs are a lost cause, I swear. Everyone wants a picture these days, even though they are harder to read.

[Flint1979]

I just want a plain plate. I hate the plates with the Mackinac Bridge on them. I also hate the sea wave at the bottom of the stupid Pure Michigan plates oh and the website can go too. Just keep it simple like the Water-Winter Wonderland and Great Lakes license plates. Hopefully these other throwback plates can get more of the Pure Michigan plates off the road and gone for good.

[jakeroot]

I just want a plain plate. I hate the plates with the Mackinac Bridge on them. I also hate the sea wave at the bottom of the stupid Pure Michigan plates oh and the website can go too. Just keep it simple like the Water-Winter Wonderland and Great Lakes license plates. Hopefully these other throwback plates can get more of the Pure Michigan plates off the road and gone for good.

Water-Winter Wonderland is one of the all-time greats, I'd love to see it brought back as a standard-issue plate.

Similar great design to Water-Winter Wonderland is Oregon's Pacific Wonderland plate. It's so good, I would move to Oregon just to get it...

[Flint1979]

I just want a plain plate. I hate the plates with the Mackinac Bridge on them. I also hate the sea wave at the bottom of the stupid Pure Michigan plates oh and the website can go too. Just keep it simple like the Water-Winter Wonderland and Great Lakes license plates. Hopefully these other throwback plates can get more of the Pure Michigan plates off the road and gone for good.

Water-Winter Wonderland is one of the all-time greats, I'd love to see it brought back as a standard-issue plate.

Similar great design to Water-Winter Wonderland is Oregon's Pacific Wonderland plate. It's so good, I would move to Oregon just to get it...

If I lived in Oregon I'd put that plate on my car for sure.

[kphoger]

These are probably year-of-manufacture programs (e.g. you can display a 1968 plate on a car made in 1968).

California has those too, but they also haven't fully replaced existing license plates since 1963, meaning it's technically possible for a yellow-on-black 1963 base plate to still be on the road. Of course, in practice there are very few plates that hung on that long. A few other states are the same way; I think in Oregon you can still have a plate issued in 1956 on the road.

Correct.  I've personally seen a California plate from the "2" series (1980s) on the road here in the Midwest as recently as a couple of years ago.  I mentioned to the owner that she must have had her vehicle for quite a while, that it was cool to see such an old serial number still in use, and she didn't seem to have much clue what I was talking about.

[Big John]

These are probably year-of-manufacture programs (e.g. you can display a 1968 plate on a car made in 1968).

California has those too, but they also haven't fully replaced existing license plates since 1963, meaning it's technically possible for a yellow-on-black 1963 base plate to still be on the road. Of course, in practice there are very few plates that hung on that long. A few other states are the same way; I think in Oregon you can still have a plate issued in 1956 on the road.

Correct.  I've personally seen a California plate from the "2" series (1980s) on the road here in the Midwest as recently as a couple of years ago.  I mentioned to the owner that she must have had her vehicle for quite a while, that it was cool to see such an old serial number still in use, and she didn't seem to have much clue what I was talking about.

Someone else may have had that vehicle before her as California policy is that the plate stays with the vehicle if ownership changes.

[mgk920]

IMHO, it is a good thing that Wisconsin has keep its present simple basic design for so long, with the only real changes being the color of the numbers and letters.

Mike