Plate Mounting Location

[Warren]

Jay was mentioning the antique version of a Tiger forum AKA the Team Tiger email list. I appreciate the archeology but I think the there is compelling evidence for the monkeys in the dealerships putting in w/e was in stock. Just like I do not buy into the NM story of Alpine Tiger plates should be mounted on the boot lid as that's what dem monkey's did to NM's car. Dealers did whatever they thought was right like adding the year sold 67B82000XXXX as the VIN or adding the designation LRXFE as part of the VIN. I recall a LOL moment at a training class hearing the head guy saying that, " if 2 cars were pretty much equal they might look under the dash to see if the clock was a cobbled together positive ground unit refaced. Yeah I'm always ready to cram myself under a show car dash with a set of 2.0 reading glasses and a flashlight

 

[alpine_64]

I do not buy into the NM story of Alpine Tiger plates should be mounted on the boot lid as that's what dem monkey's did to NM's car.

I believe the plates on the back were SUPPOSED to be mounted on the vertical face of the boot/ trunk.
This is obvious by the design of the 3 styles of plate lights from early through late cars.. Single upward facing in the push button recess, upward facing twin lamps on the bracket and 2 mounted top side of the rear bumper....

Did all dealers always do this... Definitely not.. A few US period road test show they mounted them under... They " should" have put them on the face.

My '63 SII USA cali import had it under the number from new (no holes when it was stipped down... I didnt add the holes... Kept the plate tucked under.... No correct... But did hide the plate from certain static camerras

 

[65beam]

Somewhere in one of my parts buildings is a trunk lid from a series 5 that was 50 something cars from the end of production. It had two upright brackets that were bolted to the trunk for holding the license plate. They are made to look like a wedge to hold the plate vertical. Plate lights were in the bumper. Since the cars were built in the U.K. it would be difficult to hang their wide plates under the bumper. I have the CAT light bracket / license plate holder on the series 4 and series 5. Works great. Byers in Columbus drilled two holes and bolted a cheap universal bracket to the trunk of the series 4 when it was sold new. I still have that bracket.

 

[ALC 68A]

The Alpine's original British designers would presumably have been more influenced by UK styling trends or vehicle regulations, than by US practices. Here in the UK and possibly Europe generally, under bumper mounting of the rear number plate was very unusual in the '50s until well into the '70s. It was almost always mounted on the fixed rear panel, opening boot/trunk lid or tailgate. I don't know if that was related to regulations, or was just a styling matter.

Whichever, the Alpine was designed to have its rear plate on the boot lid, hence the position of the number plate lights. Every UK and European registered Alpine and Tiger that I have ever seen, had the plate on the boot lid.

However, under bumper mounting of the plate seems to have been almost universal on US made cars in period, so presumably some supplying Alpine dealers just followed local trends when preparing the cars for the road. It seems to be random - watch Butterfield 8 and you will see that in different scenes, Elizabeth Taylor's Series I sometimes has the plate under the bumper and sometimes on the boot lid. Clearly two (or more) otherwise identical cars were used at different times during filming, but prepared for the road at the same time by different suppliers.

Where the plate is under the bumper, how is it attached? Is there a special bracket attached to the rear valance or to the bumper itself? How is the plate light rearranged to shine below rather than above? TBH it seems like a bit of a faff for the original dealer to alter these fittings, just for the sake of it. Why bother?

 

[Warren]

Yea tell the guy that had more fix it tickets, about Cali motor vehicle laws. I did get a ticket for the 14'' and a wood bumper that had a steel backing back in the land before time. The key word is "believe" and that I to believe that a knowing dealer could have followed the 14" off the ground rule. I do think they look better on the boot lid as well. Yeah there is a nice bracket not SS as I returned one as it did not fit the under the boot handle and use its bolt holes. I have seen a really nice one that does and puts the plate at an adequate distance for cleaning drying and. Of particular notice is I do not recall if the 14'' applies to the front as if it did every factory bracket on ever Sunbeam would be. Sorry to drag this o/t but back to the dealers did what they wanted to do right or wrong...

 

[65beam]

Different states, different rules, different ways of doing things. We have imports that drag on speed bumps and trucks that you need a ladder to enter the vehicle. Ohio has this thing called the "route 23 pipeline" so under normal conditions law enforcement doesn't stop you if your plate is in the wrong place or not the correct height. But, They have been known to use small violations to stop a car if they think it may contain a substance. In this area you'll find plates in the back window, hanging by wire from the bumper, etc, etc,------. One young trooper told me it's called use common sense because we don't have required vehicle inspections of any sort. If the officer checks the plate number they know if the registration is current. I believe I mentioned that I have the CAT brackets for the plate lamps and the plate. The section to hold the lights is wider from front to back and allows you to reverse the lights so they shine down and are hid under the bumper. It bolts to the car using the original bolts for the bracket and the plate hangs below the bumper. When the series 5 was restored back in 1995 Doug used a universal bracket with holes drilled thru the valance for mounting and it's easy to reverse the lights without the wiring looking bad. I finally found time and it now has the CAT bracket. This photo is after I painted it before installation.