SEMA’s Washington, D.C., staff has reminded us that California Legacy License Plates are available for pre-order, and that without sufficient orders the program may be truncated. 
California Legacy License Plates are new license plates in one of three classic designs from the ’50s and ’60s, Black lettering on yellow, yellow lettering on black, and yellow lettering on blue. The program is similar to year-of-manufacture programs offered in other states.
Obviously, the plates are available only to California car owners.The plates are available for pre-order using the California Legacy License Plate Pre-Order Form (REG 17L). The plates cost $50 for non-personalized or personalized plates.
Legislation enacted in 2012 established the California Legacy License Plate Program, but it included a catch: The law only allows until January 1, 2015, to reach the required minimum 7,500 pre-orders for any one of the plate styles. Currently, only one of the plates (yellow lettering on black background) has reached the required number of applications. Here are the current stats as reported by SEMA:
Black lettering on yellow background: 2,158 applications received
Yellow lettering on black background: 10,931 applications received
Yellow lettering on blue background: 1,745 applications received
With just under four months to go, it is evident that persons desiring the black-on-yellow or yellow-on-blue plates need to act now if they have not already placed a pre-order. It’s risk-free: If the required 7,500 applications for the plate of your choice are not received by the January 1 deadline, any fees paid for the California Legacy plates will be refunded to the applicant.