(1) The owner of an historic vehicle may use an authentic Michigan registration plate of the same year as the model year in which the vehicle was manufactured instead of an historic vehicle registration plate issued under section 803a by presenting the authentic plate number and year to the secretary of state at the time of registration. The owner of an historic vehicle may purchase an authentic Michigan registration plate from another person and restore the plate to its authentic condition for use pursuant to this section. An authentically restored plate shall be considered an authentic Michigan registration plate.

    (2) The owner of an historic vehicle applying to use an authentic Michigan registration plate under this section shall pay a fee of $35.00, shall certify that the vehicle for which the registration is requested is owned and operated solely as an historic vehicle, and shall certify that the vehicle has been inspected and found safe to operate on the highways of this state. The registration certificate need not specify the weight of the historic vehicle. The registration issued under this section is not transferable to another historic vehicle.

    (3) A registration issued under this section shall remain valid until the registrant either sells, transfers, or scraps the vehicle or modifies the vehicle in a manner that requires the issuance of a new certificate of title for the vehicle under this act.

    (4) After a hearing and for cause shown, the secretary of state may revoke a registration issued under this section for failure of the applicant to comply with this section, for use of the vehicle for which the registration was issued for purposes other than those enumerated in section 20a, or because the vehicle is not safe to operate on the highways of this state.