Here is a Facebook photo showing Fields posing with the car:
Apparently, Ohio does require a front plate (a number of states do not). A recent proposal to drop the front plate in order to save money and take away an excuse to hassle-stop minority drivers failed.
Actually had been going back and looking for a picture showing the front of the car before the accident. Thought maybe it appeared in a video. some of the conspiracy videos seem to show better or more extensive footage. Anyway in this non-conspiracy video the car seems to be shown before the incident at the 47 through 59 second mark of the video. Watching this again trying to answer your question I found something new. It looks like. The purple mini van appears at the 2:51 mark, just sitting there parked where it will eventually get hit by the two other cars behind it, the Challengerr knocking the other car into it. The street has very few people on it, compared to later when the incident takes place.