Police Cars

[HarleyEarl]

This is an actual Pacer Police car:

[gm4life]

Ugly as police car, ugly as a regular car. Just ugly but cool.

[daves87rs]

This is an actual Pacer Police car:

[capriceman]

Since switching to the new police cars we have saved $3000 of fuel bills, however we have not been able to give out a single citation as we cannot catch up to the assailants.

[ocnblu]

Having trouble keeping "Pace" with the perps, cappy?

[HarleyEarl]

People are sooo mean to the Pacer.

I never saw it as ugly.

In it's day, it was innovative. A small company trying something new.

You meanies.

[§carlet §wordfish]

That's

awesome.

Heck, it looks right at home with the Crown Vics.

[HarleyEarl]

1976 Pontiac LeMans Patrol car:

[§carlet §wordfish]

Before we leave the AMCs,

The Alabama Department of Public Safety used 133 AMC Javelins for Highway Patrol and Pursuit duties.

Each had a 'fleet-service' 401-4v V8 and Automatic Transmission.

[HarleyEarl]

That's one sexy Javelin patrol car. Nice.

[ocnblu]

How many perfectly good LeMans patrol cars were destroyed in the making of Smokey and the Bandit?

[usonia]

People are sooo mean to the Pacer.

I never saw it as ugly.

In it's day, it was innovative. A small company trying something new.

You meanies.

I agree. It was one of those cars that I liked just because it was so different and funky. If General Motor's rotary engine program had not been cancelled, the Pacer may have had more of a chance since it was supposed to get that engine.

[Intrepidation]

I win (for most badass police car)

[HarleyEarl]

Here's a restored LeMans patrol car.

It's great that people show respect even for an everyday car like this and preserve it.

[HarleyEarl]

You gotta like a police dept. that does this...

[Intrepidation]

You gotta like a police dept. that does this...

Now that's a coop car with class.

[HarleyEarl]

Sir, before I read your rights, would you like some wine with your brie and biscuits. Red or white?

[XP715]

This guy has put together quite a collection of photographs of ASSachusetts State Police vehicles both new and old:

older photos

newer stuff

I've always liked the look of the State Police cars in my state; shame that they're all driven by the biggest assholes on the face of the Earth.

[HarleyEarl]

Fantastic look back. Thanks for that. Really enjoy vintage police cars, taxis, fire and medical vehicles..

Yikes, your police look quite Germanic...almost SS.

[schuby87]

[HarleyEarl]

Here's a vintage Royal Canadian Mounted Police car (national police force) and and more current one.

I like the dark color with white doors the best for cop cars.

[Flybrian]

I love the fact that the SDV still has the padded roof. Wow.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Here's a vintage Royal Canadian Mounted Police car (national police force) and and more current one.

I like the dark color with white doors the best for cop cars.

My Dad did 25years with the RCMP and is now a Private Investigator, he always attested that the midnight blue cars with white doors were more distinctive. I tend to agree.

[daves87rs]

My Dad did 25years with the RCMP and is now a Private Investigator, he always attested that the midnight blue cars with white doors were more distinctive. I tend to agree.

Me too....

[Oracle of Delphi]

I was pulled over in the little town of Elsmere, Delaware a few weeks ago. The officer claimed I was doing 85 in a 35 MPH zone. He let me off with just a warning, because I had no points on my license and he said I had a cool car (69 PCS), works for me.

Beware if you go to Elsmere, DE, it's a speed trap.

[LosAngeles]

Nice to see different cars in the sea of Vickys we've been subject to the past 15 years across America.

[HarleyEarl]

Here's a '71 Pontiac:

[vonVeezelsnider]

It's hard to picture "Catalina" and "Enforcer" in the same sentence.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Mini Manchester, UK Police car.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Mini Manchester, UK Police car.

Ironically still more manly than their parking enforcement circus cars.

[LosAngeles]

Keep in mind they use annnnnything in England. Regardless of country of origin too.

Not like America, where you generally must see something "durable" and it also better be an American brand. So you won't see Corolla patrol cars or Civic coupes for pursuit.

CHP were testing a Volvo 850 Turbo in the 90s, however. Was quite cool to see those sedans painted black and white and equipped.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Yeah, i think the RCMP in Nova Scotia used Volvos for a while in the 80s. (Up until 1999 Volvo had a plant in Halifax, NS). Nova Scotians must support what they build because NS per capita is one of their best North American Markets.

[HarleyEarl]

[Oracle of Delphi]

Must be hard to throw prisoners in the back seat.

[§carlet §wordfish]

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet.

Edited September 2, 2008 by §carlet §wordfish

[LosAngeles]

The GTO's either a pursuit or special appearance car (for stuff like going to schools or festivals)

The Lambo looks like a proposal for a new Transformer.

[mustang84]

Plymouth Gran Fury

Ford LTD

[Sixty8panther]

Let's face it, the Pacer is not

exactly the stuff dreams are

made of, unless you're a real

nerd or weirdo, HOWEVER, in

2008 America, an era when

Accords, Camrys and Fusions

are considered to be 'midsize'

cars, and a Corolla is a car

that people actually ASPIRE

to drive

how can you NOT give props

to the Pacer for being wacky,

original & innnovative? I wish

more cars were like that

today, but these days Honda

Elements pass for "cars".

AMC always marched to the

beat of their own drummer.

Most of the time that was

cool, but at times it was

downright bizzare/ugly.

The Pacer is cool, the Gremlin

even cooler and the Javelin

& AMX are haaaawt.

Speaking of which I wonder if

I can someday make a

comprehensive list of all the

HARDTOP Police cars that

existed durring the hardtop

"era" of 1949-1978.

Prob. not many at all, even

those years police packages

automatically meant the

stripped out cheapie POST

sedan 4dr.

How many perfectly good LeMans patrol cars were destroyed in the making of Smokey and the Bandit?

Very true. :sad:

If these A-bodies were made by FoMoCo

the brochre would proclaim them to be:

"pillared hardtops"

[Sixty8panther]

FWD, unibody, northstar powered cop car?

LAME!

Now a (9C1-equipt.) LT1 powered '94-'96 Caddy

Fleetwood Brougham would -OWN- that squishy,

akward deVille for lunch like a BLT, even on a

bad opti-spark-day.

-------

DF:

Shame on you, you call yourself a MOPAR fan?!?

The LX-based Charger is wicked cool but it pales

in comparison to the classic Mopar cop cars of

the 1950s, 1960s and early-1970s!

THIS is what I'm talking about:

Imagine a mid-1950s Chrysler, Plymouth or Dodge cruiser,

you know, with a REAL hemi under-hood, awesome styling,

giant gumdrop light and big, chrome spotlights.

[Sixty8panther]

DF: I was kiddign in my previous post

but all joking aside the modern LX-MB

based Chargers have big shoes to fill

as the 60s 440-powered Mopar police

cars are the stuff of legend.

Keep in mind they use annnnnything in England. Regardless of country of origin too.

Yup... that's outright idiotic. Maybe the

Metermaid in Liverpool that drives no

faster than 25mph & averages 12 miles

a typical 8-hour day can live with an

Austin Mini but let's get real:

Even these MB-based, & relatively durrable

(for a unibody) Mopars are showing many

signs of premature wear to the chassis,

suspension and other hardware, directly

related to their much more inferior

(we're talking utlity here) unibody design

as opposed to the BOF 9C1 Caprices &

Crown Vic Interceptors.

Still, stylisticaly they're pretty damn

intimidating.... though I still think a typical

Hemi-powered '09 Charger will piss its

pants at the sight of my B-59 @ 90mph!

Edited September 4, 2008 by Sixty8panther

[michaelv13]

I have seen this one in Royal Oak. Spectacularly frightening.

[HarleyEarl]

Here's vintage Ontario Provincial Police or OPP photo showing them applying a dorr decal to a new AMC Ambassador coupe..

[XP715]

I have seen this one in Royal Oak. Spectacularly frightening.

That's sick. I would be honored to be pulled over by the new Z06!

[Sixty8panther]

OPP?

hhahahhahah!!! that brings back memories of my youth,

when "Naughty By Nature" videos flashed before my

eyes on our 24" NEC television, during an era when 5.0

Mustangs were in showrooms in both notchback LX and

hatchback variety, the (original DOHC) Corvette ZR1 was

on every magazine cover and there was no such band as

"the Eagles", even though Don Henley was busy making

music and Michael Jackson was still semi-normal.

You down wit O.P.P.?

Yeah you know me!

[Satty]

[ocnblu]

More like "Keeping the PIECE" (of $h!). Ew.

[K.C.]

This is a really cool thread with alot of great posts. I've always had an interest in police cars. I guess because I am always looking for them when I'm driving. The Chargers are my favorite. I was in Chicagoland recently and noticed that one of the suburbs (Oak Lawn or Oak Park) has a Hummer H2 police car. They got it from a drug bust and coverted it into a cop car. In the early 90's, the Chicago suburb of Winfield had Buick Centuries and Regals as their squad cars.

I was watching Speeders on TruTV and noticed that many forces are using the 2wd Tahoes. I also noticed that one of the units in Florida has an unmarked Ford Super Duty. That was a surprise.

[LosAngeles]

Chargers and Impalas are just barely starting to show up in L.A. jurisdictions. There's just too many damn Vickys, and these cities are broke out here.

[cletus8269]

the javelins were touched on earlier in the thread but here is a write up that HMM did on them

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2007/1...n_feature7.html

also how about an Oldsmobile patrol car?

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2008/1...n_feature8.html

and lastly, has anyone ever seen the long arm of the law in a stude lark?

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2008/0...n_feature8.html

i happen to think our state patrol has one of the nicest paint schemes

there was almost a deal with BMW here in SC to get 3ers for patrol cars but plans fell through.

[LosAngeles]

the javelins were touched on earlier in the thread but here is a write up that HMM did on them

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2007/1...n_feature7.html

Looks like what if the 71 Mustang and Cutlass were cross-bred.

also how about an Oldsmobile patrol car?

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2008/1...n_feature8.html

That has to be huge honkin' laughs right there. Looks a lot of fun for a police cruiser.

there was almost a deal with BMW here in SC to get 3ers for patrol cars but plans fell through.

Imagine if those were coupes for pursuit purposes.