Vanity license plates can be a great time — I’ve had plenty myself — but they can also be extraordinarily dumb. Sometimes, that makes them better; other times, it makes them insufferable. People love to talk about bad vanity plates, about the true dregs of the art form, but today I want to ask you about something else. Instead of ragging on the bad designs, the dumb ones, I want to ask you about the platonic ideal of a vanity license plate. What’s the best vanity plate idea you’ve ever had?
Note that this doesn’t have to be one you’ve actually put on a car. Bonus points if you have, and if you’ve got the photos to prove it, but today’s question doesn’t require you to have given a single dollar to your local DMV. Instead, I just want to know a license plate and car combination that you think is absolutely perfect. Tell me about your best vanity plate concepts.
I like mine
Personally, I hold my license plates to a very specific standard: If I’m not a little bit embarrassed to explain them, they’re not good. When I got my Scion FR-S back in college, I had plenty of ideas for what plate to throw on it, but only one ended up gracing my car: K4NSE1, after the kansei dorifto scene from “Initial D.” I once had to explain it to two guys in a coffee shop parking lot, who immediately just looked disappointed and left. Still, even that pales in comparison to the plate my NB Miata would’ve worn if I’d kept it long enough for the plate to come in the mail: L4TT3. Get it? Like a scaled up Suzuki Cappuccino? If you’re rolling your eyes and regretting reading that sentence, I’ve done my job well.
My favorite license plate idea I’ve ever had was L4TT3 on an NB Miata, but what’s the best concept you’ve ever put together? Leave your answers in the comments below, and I’ll pick out my favorites later in the week. Remember, you don’t have to have actually gotten these plates — you just need to come up with the idea.
