Porsche beautification idea - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

2000SoCalBoxsterS · 05-16-2007, 08:57 AM

I don't know about you guys, but I don't run with a front license plate for the same reason that most of us don't. It ugly's up your beautiful front bumper. But there I times when you know you have to fly through hostile territory and you wish you had an easy temporary way to put your plate on.

I believe this is a great solution to the problem:

I am also a member of the Corvette forum. There is a company called Top Flight Reproductions that makes a quick easy-on-and-easy-off removable license plate bracket. It contours slightly with the front bumper as well for a nice-a-look as you can get with a license plate on the front of your car. When you need a plate you just pop it on. For parking in the city, going through tolls, or areas with over enthusiatic LEO's.

For Porsche owners there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that they only make this removable plate holder for Corvettes right now. The good news is that if you have a Boxster S, Cayman, or 911 with the center air intake they believe that the bracket will also work on these Porsches.

If they see as much interest from the Porsche crowd as they do from the Vette crowd I believe they will start making this product especially for Porsches and start advertising on the Porsche forums.

Check them out. I'm ordering mine today.

http://www.topflightrepro.com/

porsche986spyder · 05-16-2007, 09:14 AM

Looks like a plain painted license plate frame to me. No different than buying one at PepBoys and doing it yourself. What is so special about these frames?

blinkwatt · 05-16-2007, 09:14 AM

Looks Bling-tastic.

johne4 · 05-16-2007, 09:23 AM

I guess I consider myself lucky, I live in one of the States that do not have front licence plates

BoxsterBob - CA · 05-16-2007, 09:29 AM

If you're looking for a good temporary option, i.e., get the fix it ticket signed off, or parking where NFP tickets are likely, (LAX and several downtown meter locations) you may want to consider something like this. It's a plate bracket attached to a bolt that fits the tow hook mount. Very ugly for full time operation, but perfect in a pinch.

Personally, I think you could whip one up for a few bucks with Home Depot parts, but this site shows the idea:

http://www.moweraxle.com/pricelist/porschetowhookmount.html

2000SoCalBoxsterS · 05-16-2007, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porsche986spyder

Looks like a plain painted license plate frame to me. No different than buying one at PepBoys and doing it yourself. What is so special about these frames?

It's not at all just a plain plate frame. I know on their website they don't make that very obvious. They are engineers but not very good marketers. Plus the Vette community is very familiar with it and know how works so they don't explain it well on their site.

Try this link:

http://www.topflightrepro.com/corvetteplatebracket.html

porsche986spyder · 05-16-2007, 09:43 AM

Trust me. I can buy an identical frame at any car parts store and paint it myself. Plastic tends to be some what flexible, so it would be easy to curve it onto the front of our cars. I preffer not to use one. Police sometimes say something when I get pulled over, but they never write me a ticket. It's to easy to fix and get taken care of. A few years ago on another car I had, the cop gave me a ticket for not having that front plate. I just put mine on the next day with some double sided tape and took a picture of it being on the front bumper, brought it to court with me and my ticket and got it dismissed, while the whole time my car was sitting in the parking lot with NO front plate. It's that easy to get out of and that's why most cops don't enforce it anymore, they like to give you warrnings instead.

drburton · 05-16-2007, 09:58 AM

At my last DE event there was a guy who created a replica of his license plate on a sticker. So it looked exactly like his back license plate, same size etc.. except it was just stuck on the front of the car, so no bracket.

It wasn't beautiful but was a step up from the big bracket and holes in the front of the car.

2000SoCalBoxsterS · 05-16-2007, 10:07 AM

No. You are not understanding this device. Which I can totally understand because they do a terrible job of showing how it works on their site. I have them creating a better photo explanation and sending it to me.

I've seen an excellent example on the Vette forum by a member but now I can't find the post. It was a few months ago. Let me try to explain this better myself.

Apparantly there is a bracket that fits inside your front center air intake vent in the bumper. It sit's inside where you can't see it. Then the plate holder snaps into that hidden bracket and out agian when you want to go plateless.

For guys who live in states with a front plate law it's a nice solution.

eslai · 05-16-2007, 10:41 AM

Yeah...I'm having a totally hard time seeing how that plate is removeable or what now. The tow hook one seems to be a very nice solution, but if there's an easier "snap-on/snap-off" solution that doesn't require drilled holes, I'm all for it!

MNBoxster · 05-16-2007, 10:50 AM

Hi,

I don't see what the Big Deal is. It's a Fact of Life in the 38 of the 50 States which require a Front Plate. If you live in one of these states, you should have one. Why should everyone else have to do it except you?

You think it looks ugly? Porsche doesn't! Unlike many Car Manufacturers, Porsche photographs all it's cars for Brochures and Press Releases sporting a Front Plate.

The Tow Hook receptacle can be a good way to temporarily mount a Front Plate, but the aftermarket kits aren't the best I've seen.

The best, pictured below, was made for me by a member of another Forum. It's advantage is that you can mount the Plate Up/Down and/or Side-to-Side with so much variance that it actually doesn't look bad.

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

eslai · 05-16-2007, 11:04 AM

That one _is_ pretty nice. It's not all super CNC-machined like the super-expensive one the Doc showed in this thread, but I do like the ability to position it wherever you want.

As for the aesthetic merits of a front license plate, I guess that's all subject to opinion. I think all cars look better without the front plate. Porsches seem better designed to accommodate the european license plates than the US-sized ones.

porsche986spyder · 05-16-2007, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

You think it looks ugly? Porsche doesn't! Unlike many Car Manufacturers, Porsche photographs all it's cars for Brochures and Press Releases sporting a Front Plate.

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

That's still a matter of opinion. Porsche does it for obvious LEGAL reasons. Not because they think it does not look ugly. Besides, they are always shown with the cool narrow European version, not some square shaped plate on the front in their Press Releases.

djomlas · 05-16-2007, 04:36 PM

well the porsche puts on the european plates, which are much nicer looking than the big US ones

Grizzly · 05-16-2007, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drburton

At my last DE event there was a guy who created a replica of his license plate on a sticker. So it looked exactly like his back license plate, same size etc.. except it was just stuck on the front of the car, so no bracket.

In Maryland that's called a Fraudulently Altered Tag and it's a no-no, requiring your appearance in court.

On the traffic citation, there's a place for the Officer to put in the amount of the fine. When he writes MA (for must appear) on that line...that's never good. In that case the Judge gets to make up his own fine.

It would be much better to run with no front tag. Last I checked it was $35.00 and no points.

r9i8c7k · 05-17-2007, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoxsterBob - CA

If you're looking for a good temporary option, i.e., get the fix it ticket signed off, or parking where NFP tickets are likely, (LAX and several downtown meter locations) you may want to consider something like this. It's a plate bracket attached to a bolt that fits the tow hook mount. Very ugly for full time operation, but perfect in a pinch.

Personally, I think you could whip one up for a few bucks with Home Depot parts, but this site shows the idea:

http://www.moweraxle.com/pricelist/porschetowhookmount.html

I have never been ticketed(lucky). But I will keep this in mind if I get a fix it ticket.

r9i8c7k · 05-17-2007, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

I don't see what the Big Deal is. It's a Fact of Life in the 38 of the 50 States which require a Front Plate. If you live in one of these states, you should have one. Why should everyone else have to do it except you?

You think it looks ugly? Porsche doesn't! Unlike many Car Manufacturers, Porsche photographs all it's cars for Brochures and Press Releases sporting a Front Plate.

The Tow Hook receptacle can be a good way to temporarily mount a Front Plate, but the aftermarket kits aren't the best I've seen.

The best, pictured below, was made for me by a member of another Forum. It's advantage is that you can mount the Plate Up/Down and/or Side-to-Side with so much variance that it actually doesn't look bad.

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

"Why should everyone else have to do it except you?" - because we are Porsche Boxster owners. We are different. Exceptions should be made for special people. No?

Perfectlap · 05-17-2007, 09:14 AM

well I haven't had a front plate for nearly 9 years. Have been questioned about it by the Five-O many times, only got a ticket once and that was at a check point that was just a big excuse for this small town to ticket everyone. They were giving out tickets left and right in this empty lot. They must have raised allot of dough that night.

I'd rather pay the $30 ticket than make it easier for a state trooper to shoot his lazer at my front plate. The lazer needs something reflective and most license plates are coated in this reflective paint. They can use your headlights too, but you need those.

Grizzly · 05-17-2007, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

The lazer needs something reflective and most license plates are coated in this reflective paint. They can use your headlights too, but you need those.

Not exactly. The laser "beam" is about three feet wide and bounces off of the front surface area of your vehicle. It doesn't need a front plate or headlights as a reflective surface to function.

05-17-2007, 10:45 AM

I thought it started as a pencil sized beam, but disperses into an 18 inch diameter by the time it hits your car. And the only reason lazer detecters go off is due to the shaking in the troopers arms allowing the beam to hit the detecter for a split second.