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As others noted, he didn't want to be tracked, but I also suspect that it had to do with aesthetics. License plates are really quite hideous compeared to the cars they're affixed to, and not all that different from say an Intel Inside sticker on a laptop. In his mind, it was ugly and unnecessary.

That’s a great analogy.
 
how to find those cars ,i dont want to buy just any old Mercedes AMG actually i would be more intertested in his Porsche 928 the car that inspired the design of the first Macintosh if you believe that article :


The 5th October was a sad day for computer owners around the world. Even those who do not own an Apple Mac can appreciate the brilliance that went into the design of these computers and we all moan the death of the mastermind behind the Apple, Steve Jobs.

Many of us sometimes wonder how a mind like that works, what inspires a man like Job when he sits down and develops something that changes the world forever.

Andy Hertzfeld is one man that should be able to shed some light on that question. He was a member of the very first Apple development team and he still recalls a conversation between Jobs and the director of Creative Services at Apple, James Ferris, during a late night meeting in March 1981.

For some reason, Hertzfeld remembers, they were discussing cars. "Itís got to be different, different from everything else," said Jobs.

Jobs then went on to say that the new computer should have a classic style that will not date easily ñ something like the VOLKSWAGEN Beetle. Ferris responded that it should rather have voluptuous lines, similar to a Ferrari.

The car comparison apparently excited Jobs. "Not a Ferrari, thatís not right either. It should be more like a Porsche!" he said, perhaps thinking of his own Porsche 928.

Hertzfeld found the comparison with cars a little pompous, but he was nevertheless impressed by Jobsí passion and powers of discrimination.

After that night Jobs went on to tirelessly create the Porsche of computers. Apple released the design for the first Mac 11 months later in February 1982.



i guess Steve Jobs had quiet a few cars since 1976 ;)

next collection to start cars owned by Steve Jobs :)

or are they already all in Jay Leno's garage :(
 
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It was symbolic...

Steve was trying to say: "F--- you. The rules don't apply to me". Whether you agree or not, you have to admire his inventiveness in getting his way.:apple:
 
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Very cool, a bit fishy...
 
Hah, clever guy. But why leave the license plate frame on?

I do the same thing. In my case it's simply because I'm a serious car enthusiast that dislikes the way a front lic plate obscures the beauty of the front end. Both my German & Italian cars have such gorgeous styling I can't bear to muck it up with plates.

Why the plate frame?

I've found that if I have them install a plain chrome or black plate frame (depending on car color) I get stopped less. That's purely a trial and error result. Just guessing that if they don't see a plate frame it may be mistaken as stolen when viewed at a glance, before they decide if they are going to pull me over.

Don't hate on us just because we can afford great cars. It takes a lot of work & responsibility which is no secret. Just common sense. Its an earned luxury.
 
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ghostlyorb said:
What is the point of not having a license plate?

Can you do this?

That is the point.
 
It is possible...

Image

Nice little runner. Bet you could fit a few bags from Tescos in the back. Pic is from

http://nice-reg.co.uk/number-plates/number-plates/royal-number-plates.html

Apparently only state cars have no plates - including the state Landrover. Royalty still have to have number plates on their personal cars.

ROYAL-54.jpg


I was rather surprised at the number of other royal state cars on that page that have AA / RAC badges on them. Can't see kingy or queenie getting on the blower to the breakdown people if the jalopy throws a rod on a state visit.
 
As others noted, he didn't want to be tracked, but I also suspect that it had to do with aesthetics. License plates are really quite hideous compeared to the cars they're affixed to, and not all that different from say an Intel Inside sticker on a laptop. In his mind, it was ugly and unnecessary.

If that was true, then why is the licence plate frame there? That frame on it's own is as ugly as heck.
 
Apparently only state cars have no plates - including the state Landrover. Royalty still have to have number plates on their personal cars.

The cars are specially built without any provision for license plates so there are no ugly frames left on their cars.

ROYAL-02.jpg


They have another thing in common with Steve Jobs as the Royals also seem to pay no attention to parking regulations. :)
 
I don't think it's to do with tracking. Steve wasn't a go out shopping kind of guy. He'd always be spotted by fans/media anyway.
 
I don't think it has anything to do with not being tracked. Because everyone knows that a silver SL 55 without plates belongs to him (as everyone else has plates on).

It had to do with I don't care about your rules. Must be a Zen thing....
 
I don't think it has anything to do with not being tracked. Because everyone knows that a silver SL 55 without plates belongs to him (as everyone else has plates on).

It had to do with I don't care about your rules. Must be a Zen thing....

What's "zen" about leasing a new car every 6 months?
 
Devilishly clever :D. Even more so considering that he went through all that trouble for something so seemingly pointless.

Steve was trying to say: "F--- you. The rules don't apply to me". Whether you agree or not, you have to admire his inventiveness in getting his way.:apple:

Sorry, I know I'm going to get flamed for saying this, but there is something beyond cute in this behavior. There is a sense of narcissistic entitlement that goes beyond "Think Different". As Isaacson mentioned in one of his interviews, Jobs felt that the rules that applied to everyone else did not apply to him. It's an attitude straight out of Nietzsche - the superior being who is above all others and therefore not subject to the rules others must follow because of his inherent superiority. No, we are not all created equal when it comes to such characteristics as general intelligence or creativity, but that does not give anyone the right to put themselves above others in terms adherence to the rules all others must follow. Scary consequences follow from such thinking.

Pointless assertions of personal privilege are disquieting, even in the creative individual. It's not unheard of among the artistic and creative individuals, but disturbing nonetheless.

I am fully aware that I'm making a big fuss about a relatively insignificant issue. I don't care about license plates per se, but rather what it reveals about the individual.
 
null licence plate

Seems a strange thing to allow...you could perform a hit and run accident on someone and they would never be able to trace you via the licence plate...

silly.
 
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That's awesome!
 
Seems a strange thing to allow...you could perform a hit and run accident on someone and they would never be able to trace you via the licence plate...

If you were hit by a car in Cupertino and you told the cops "the guy drove a silver Mercedes with no license plates", whose car do you think would they have checked? (Before the usual paranoia sets in and claims that since they knew it was Steve Jobs they wouldn't have done anything: So what would be the difference if he had a license plate? )


I remember reading a while back that he always carried the license plate in the trunk just in case, but I guess not.

If you read the article, it would have been illegal to drive without the license plate if he had one. What I cannot see is why this rule exists at all. In the UK, a car must be insured and taxed to drive, and you can get neither insurance nor pay the tax if it is not registered. In other words, an unregistered car cannot be driven legally on public roads in the UK.


He probably re-leased the same car. Being a billionaire has it's benefits. You can go with special 6 month leases.

That loophole was for new cars only. It wouldn't be new the second time.


Agree. Morally, I don't personally see any difference between somebody who deliberately breaks the law and somebody who inappropriately exploits loopholes to avoid having to comply. Developed society places a responsibility on individuals, and one of those is compliance with the word and spirit of its rules, no matter how much money you may have.

California law says you can drive a new car without license plate for up to six months. That law is stupid IMO, but it is definitely not a loophole.
 
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100 years ago the filthy rich might change cars when the ash tray was full or the gas tank got empty. However, if I was very rich and potential target for people following me I may take measures to make I was hard to track.
 
I remember reading a while back that he always carried the license plate in the trunk just in case, but I guess not.
 
He probably re-leased the same car. Being a billionaire has it's benefits. You can go with special 6 month leases. As far as the license plate bracket goes.. do you really think Steve had time to think about this menial drivel. He probably could care less what bracket was on there.
 
He probably re-leased the same car. Being a billionaire has it's benefits. You can go with special 6 month leases. As far as the license plate bracket goes.. do you really think Steve had time to think about this menial drivel. He probably could care less what bracket was on there.

Gee - that goes against everything written about him and stated on here that Steve was all about the details, doesn't it? Hmmmmmm
 
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