Class: Cars, Sedan — Model origin:
Background vehicle
Author | Message |
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◊ 2010-11-24 19:19 |
After looking up the license plate on the California Smog Test site, supposedly it belongs to a 1977 Chevrolet Caprice even though the car in the main image has Impala taillights. |
◊ 2010-11-24 19:24 |
Yes, this is 1977 Chevrolet Impala taillight ![]() |
◊ 2010-11-24 22:03 |
What's the most likely: an error in the plates registry, or a tailight replacement? |
◊ 2010-11-25 00:42 |
Any. As we have seen before on the site, there are some cars that have real California license plates on them, but the plates are registered to another vehicle. The tailights could also be replacements. If you look, the tailight here does not appear to be properly secured to the housing ![]() |
◊ 2010-11-25 03:42 |
No, the Caprice Classic taillight has different rear end assembly. To make up the lack of back-up lights in each triple taillights, the back-up lights are at the licence plate assembly. Probably a clercial error, probably not an IMCDb freak like us ![]() |
◊ 2010-11-25 03:46 |
I would surmised that there may be a rear fender bender that deforms the plastic assembly that almost pop the taillight assembly out ![]() |
◊ 2010-11-25 05:42 |
Or a fender bender that could have caused the need to change out the tailights ![]() Either way I say we leave it as an Impala since we should primarily go with what the car says, not the license plate. Also, as a separate note, as those of us who have looked up many plates on the Smog Test site have already noticed, sometimes cars are labeled differently from one test to the other. Thats because the person doing the test always enters the make/model on a computer, at his/her discretion. So it's completely possible that the mechanic in this case labeled it a Caprice simply on instinct, since by 1997 (when the test was done), The Impala name had been dropped since 1985, not counting the SS. Let's not forget, more people before 2000 (when the new Impala came out) would have probably been more familiar with the Caprice name than with the Impala name. |
◊ 2010-11-25 05:52 |
If the record shows the full VIN it should be easy to decode. |
◊ 2010-11-25 06:43 |
There's no VIN due to safety/privacy issues. |
◊ 2010-11-30 00:02 |
As long as the final 6 sequential digits are deleted, the car could be identified without revealing the precise unit. |
◊ 2010-11-30 06:03 |
Take that up with the highly bureaucratic California DMV ![]() |