# DeLorean’s registered license plate is actually “3CZV657” **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 3, 2021, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957 "2021-08-03T10:37:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blueslipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@blueslipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueslipper)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/21 "2021-08-04T03:29:46Z")
If you want to discuss another movie featuring that car brand then be my guest. ---
**Author:** ![blueslipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@blueslipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueslipper)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/22 "2021-08-04T03:31:17Z")
Thank you for your homespun wisdom. Now please explain why those trivia pages give this factoid. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/23 "2021-08-04T03:35:11Z")
> [@blueslipper](#): > > Now please explain why those trivia pages give this factoid. [Already did.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/8) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/24 "2021-08-04T03:35:34Z")
> [@blueslipper](#): > > Now please explain why those trivia pages give this factoid. Because random online pages (even IMDB) aren’t always 100% accurate. This one may have a kernel of truth though. It is entirely possible one of the cars was registered in CA with that plate, even if it wasn’t shown in any of the movies. Could be worse. Could be the alternate ending to “Big” thing, which also has a trivia entry in IMDB, despite not existing at all. ---
**Author:** ![blueslipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@blueslipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueslipper)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/25 "2021-08-04T04:05:56Z")
Please show me the production notes or a link to a site saying this.Saying that the plate is the original production notes. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/26 "2021-08-04T05:02:01Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > 3C won’t have come up in the normal sequencing until the early to mid 1990s. Last data point - the car I bought in Dec. 2000 starts with 4P The tag 3CZV657 belongs to a 1982 Delorian. It was first smog tested in 1996. Plug the number in here: > **[Check a vehicle's inspection history](https://www.bar.ca.gov/inspection)** > > The Bureau of Automotive Repair’s Vehicle Inspection Results page, displays Inspection history based on the vehicle VIN or license plate. ---
**Author:** ![superwombat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superwombat/32/16616_2.png) [@superwombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superwombat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/27 "2021-08-04T05:23:45Z")
I was thinking that 3CZV657 was the decoded barcode, alas, no [![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1015/7033/products/2015.png?v=1501002942) ](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1015/7033/products/2015.png?v=1501002942) I do wonder if the barcodes are in a valid format? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/28 "2021-08-04T06:04:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > The tag 3CZV657 belongs to a 1982 Delorian. It was first smog tested in 1996. Plug the number in here Since the last film was made in 1990, I suspect this isn’t a film car. And as noted, no CA plates in 1985 started with a 3. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/29 "2021-08-04T07:12:11Z")
Could be one of the cars that was made for promotion purposes and never appeared on film. If so, it might have some value even though it never appeared on film. Some parts were scavenged from the B and C cars to make promotional cars for the second and third movies. It could also be a fan-made car. There are a lot of those floating around. I have to wonder if someone put their fan-made replica’s license plate into some online trivia to make it seem like their car was directly associated with the movie when it wasn’t, so that the car would be worth more. Maybe we just uncovered a scam from several decades ago? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/30 "2021-08-04T08:35:31Z")
> [@blueslipper](#): > > a link to a site saying this. Literally the only hit for 3CZV657 and “production notes”: [Floodgap Roadgap, US 395: US Highway 395 In Popular Culture](https://www.floodgap.com/roadgap/395/culture.html) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/31 "2021-08-04T10:33:55Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I have to wonder if someone put their fan-made replica’s license plate into some online trivia to make it seem like their car was directly associated with the movie when it wasn’t, so that the car would be worth more. Maybe we just uncovered a scam from several decades ago? It had to have been a known number since at least 2007. That’s when the _Project Gotham Racing 4_ that gets most of the hits came out. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/32 "2021-08-04T11:06:08Z")
The factoid actually makes a list released by Universal Studios in 2012: > **[Universal Shares 100 Factoids For its 100th Anniversary](https://news.yahoo.com/news/universal-shares-100-factoids-100th-anniversary-175000343.html)** > > It's not every day that a studio turns 100. As such, Universal is making the most of its centennial with a host of events including the recent Tribeca Film Festival shout out to the the company courtesy of Robert DeNiro and Judd Apatow. But today,... ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/33 "2021-08-04T15:24:04Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It could also be a fan-made car. There are a lot of those floating around. From the car shows I have been to, I think replica Doc Brown time machine Deloreans\* outnumber stock Deloreans by about 4:1. Heck, they even had one in the Tempe (AZ) Carvana carousel for a while. \*and they always, always have the Mr Fusion power supply. No love for the original, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/34 "2021-08-04T15:25:23Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You definitely can’t drive half a car around It worked in “The Love Bug”… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/35 "2021-08-04T15:29:46Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > It worked in “The Love Bug”… I seem to remember there was a front half only police car in Smokey and the Bandit II or III, but I can’t find a picture. Maybe every realized how stupid it was, and purged all evidence, 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/36 "2021-08-04T15:30:58Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > > > You definitely can’t drive half a car around > > It worked in “The Love Bug”… Worked for James Bond as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/37 "2021-08-04T15:33:06Z")
> [@blueslipper](#): > > If you want to discuss another movie featuring that car brand then be my guest. I think the point that @Hatchie was making was that neither your topic title nor your first post said which movie you were referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/38 "2021-08-04T16:03:38Z")
Wow!! Starting a vague thread trying to fact check information about a movie and then getting snippy with the folks that are trying to help…clearly the 11 months away did not help. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/39 "2021-08-04T16:51:51Z")
So to summarize: - The plate belongs to a 1982 DeLorean - per CA Smog Check records. - The [Peterson Museum has the ‘A’ car on display](https://www.petersen.org/back-to-the-future-dmc-delorean) until August 29th. The museum says it is a 1981 DMC-12. It’s possible one of the two years is a goof, or it’s a 1982 model year sold in 1981, although I wouldn’t expect the Peterson to make that type of mistake. - The plate was issued after the movies completed production - 3CZ would have been issued after between 1992 and 1994 - per my wife’s old 1992 having a plate that started with 2Z and Wikipedia stating the 1994 plate design change started with 3GAA000. 3CZV657 may be the current plate, but it certainly wasn’t the plate when Universal obtained the car. If it is the film car, I wonder why Universal felt the need to make it street legal again? Possibly in anticipation of a 10th anniversary promotion? Looks like the easiest way to confirm would be to go to the Peterson and badger a guard to let you get close enough to see the VIN. Then we can run the VIN through Carfax and see if the car’s history matches the plate. (Note: This is not a good idea) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957/40 "2021-08-04T17:07:11Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > (Note: This is not a good idea) Why not? Couldn’t hurt to ask. Maybe one of our LA-based members can spring for the $16 ticket and go take a picture or three. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delorean-s-registered-license-plate-is-actually-3czv657/947957.md?page=3)