At 2pm on Friday Mr Hansen unscrewed the plates outside the Portland VicRoads office after doing a couple of laps in his 1971 LC Torana.

"I'm not real happy but I'll take the plates off," he said.

"I'll unscrew the plates and buy new ones but I'm going to keep fighting.

"I can't have them on the car, but I will retain them. I'll put stock plates on it which will cost about $35."

Mr Hansen's plight to save his WEPN plates has attracted plenty of media attention and led to a change.org petition which has already attracted more than 8800 signatures.

The personalised plates have been on his 1971 LC Torana since 2010 after his wife's family gave them to him as a gift.

He uses the car at Portland's South Coast Raceway drag racing events, to display at car shows and for the odd trip to the supermarket.

Mr Hansen had planned to use his HZ Holden to tow the Torana, and his wife had applied to get WEPN2 licence plates to match as a present for his birthday.

But VicRoads rejected the application, and then days later also cancelled the plates he'd had on the Torana for 10 years.

Mr Hansen said he had gone through the VicRoads appeals process, the ombudsman had decided VicRoads had done nothing illegal and the case now rested with the Victorian Civil Administration Tribunal.

Mr Hansen said he had to remove the plates or his Torana's registration would be suspended and his car deemed unroadworthy.

"I'll take them off but I'm keeping the plates and the fight goes on," he said.

"I'm making an appearance down there at VicRoads today so they know everyone is still not happy. It's someone in Melbourne who made this decision."

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