I'm afraid a front plate is required in IL. I did a lot of searching before taking delivery. There was a motion passed some years ago in springfield to try to save money by no longer requiring front plates but it has been tabled indefinitely. ie. the law still says you need them and likely wont change for at least several years, if ever.
I see a lot of cars driving aroudn without front plates but technically you can be fined. I guess it depends on the cop you get. I jsut chose to get the bumper drilled and live with it. If I ever move states I will need to get the holes repaired. Maybe a good excuse to get the m-performance aero kit
h