Ok ok dont laugh. I got the plate as a gift from a friend in japan awhile back, and while i was in japan a week ago picked up this 'Taka-Kaira Flip-Up Front License Plate Holder' while i was at the Bee-R garage/shop.

i think it looks pretty sweet. i havent seen any cars around my area with a japanese front plate, so it is kinda cool. my bro's BMW and my mom's BMW both have german plates on the front, so now my car fits the pattern too...

the plate is badass because it flips up at 75 or 80kpm to let air flow through...

here are some pics:

plate down:


plate up!:

thanks to my little bro for propping it up for the photo...

here are a few more pics i took yesterday after it stopped raining:







yey so pretty! hahahah

anyway if anyone wants japanese license plates, check this out:
click here

 

pretty trick. car looks good!

 

Cool...even cooler would be one in the back too, rigged to go up and down from inside the car ..for no reason at all

 

I'm interested in the plate-holder, but not the plate itself. Can you get ahold of those used, or cheaper than from Takakira themselves?
I do have 1 important q: When the plate is pressed up @ speed, does it cover up the stock i/c duct? I imagine any smic would have it's duct covered up, especially for those of you with the larger Japanese plates....

 

hmmm i think i got mine at Bee-R for like 8000yen. Thats like $67 right? but i didnt have to pay shipping to the US since i got it at their shop and put it in my suitcase to come home.

any no, it doesnt cover the IC duct i checked

 

Can the cops give you **** for having a Japanese front plate? Even though the rear plate is American?

 

no way. people put 'vanity' plates on the front all the time.

 

Dude, car is looking great...what wheels are those...RH C2s?

Do they have flip up rear plates for when cops are chasing you?

 

sucks for me, i'm in NJ and its required to have plates on front and back, no vanity plates or anything

 

Yeah this is ---> Florida <----
in Florida you can put "Cops Stink worse than the perps they arrest" on your license plate and you'll get hassled for other things but they can't nab you on the plates.... ---> Reason.... No Red Light Cameras in Florida.. so no reason for front plates....

Us, Californians are so screwed !

Then again average income in Cali is 2-4X that of Florida.. If I could just make the kind of money I do here and go back to my home state I'd be very happy and wealthy !

I wouldn't mind putting that on my FD for the front cali plates... Hummm......

What would be even funnier for us Californians, is to make a plastic bracket for our plates that has a very loose spring, that allows the plate to retract so that when the cop pulls you over he can't write you a ticket... because it's there !!

Perfect !

-DC

 

hmmmm, japanese plates... you better be super good in drift or wangun or thats... kinda odd

 

Can anyone get ahold of any? Maybe form some sort of GB? (authorized, of course)

 

Rooter, just PM'd. ya.

 

A long time ago a friend of mine made the same thing for about 5 bucks worth of home depot hinges.

 

Details?

 

Someone on one of the Miata lists had a doorlock actuator rigged to the front plate. It was switched from the interior. He did a writeup a while back, but I can't seem to find it now.

For the rear, what we need is a big LCD pane that turns black when you put power on it...

 

yeah ive seen it done, but it looks kinda ghetto, it hangs lower and its harder to control the speed at which the plate flips up, also they tend to flap because the are not spring loaded.

 

Thats pretty sweet man. Oh and the car looks pretty too. Are those rims the konig imigames?

 

Nice "reflecting pool!" Pics look pretty sweet.

 

They sell those too.....check out any classic car magazine, or hot rod magazine for that matter.....

 

Sorry to bump, but I really want to know how to do this!

 

This is for California.


Positioning of Plates


5201. License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging and shall be mounted in a position to be clearly visible, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The rear license plate shall be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from the ground, except as follows:

(a) The rear license plate on a tow truck may be mounted on the left-hand side of the mast assembly at the rear of the cab of the vehicle, not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground.

(b) The rear license plate on a tank vehicle hauling hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25117 of the Health and Safety Code, or asphalt material may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground.

(c) The rear license plate on a truck tractor may be mounted at the rear of the cab of the vehicle, not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground.

(d) The rear license plate of a vehicle designed by the manufacturer for the collection and transportation of garbage, rubbish, or refuse and which is used regularly for the collection and transportation of that material by any person or governmental entity employed to collect, transport, and dispose of garbage, rubbish, or refuse may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground.

(e) No covering shall be used on license plates except as follows:

(1) The installation of a cover over a lawfully parked vehicle to protect it from the weather and the elements does not constitute a violation of this subdivision. Any peace officer or other regularly salaried employee of a public agency designated to enforce laws, including local ordinances, relating to the parking of vehicles may temporarily remove so much of the cover as is necessary to inspect any license plate, tab, or indicia of registration on a vehicle.

(2) The installation of a license plate security cover is not a violation of this subdivision if the device does not obstruct or impair the recognition of the license plate information, including, but not limited to, the issuing state, license plate number, and registration tabs, and the cover is limited to the area directly over the top of the registration tabs. No portion of a license plate security cover shall rest over the license plate number.


(f) No casing, shield, frame, border, or other device that obstructs or impairs the reading or recognition of a license plate by a remote emission sensing device, as specified in Sections 44081 and 44081.6 of the Health and Safety Code, shall be installed on, or affixed to, a vehicle.

Amended Ch. 704, Stats. 1994. Effective January 1, 1995.
Amended Sec. 16, Ch. 1007, Stats. 1999. Effective January 1, 2000.

 

KICK ***!! i'd buy one but i can't even drive yet

 

If you are from a two-plate state, i.e. California, Hawaii) then YES, you will get lit up for the Japanese plate. In FL, no worries.

 

is there a place that u can check on the net to see it ur states a two plate state?