Classic California Highway Patrol Cars - Jay Leno's Garage

[Morris Minor]

Christian's going to reach for the Kleenex when he sees the '70 Polara.

http://youtu.be/K0pjW8Ss0WI

[cawimmer430]

Gorgeous cars! 

I'm not really feeling the Mustang, but the others were gorgeous. I also dig that '70s Mercury Monterey, even though the ex-cop said it was crap - at least the design was sexy and hot. 

By the way, did I hear that correctly - the Mercury Monterey was ordered without power steering? I thought power steering was standard on virtually all of those huge land yachts? 

And where's the '74 Dodge Monaco!?

[Mustangfan2003]

The Mustang is awesome and those former patrol cars are popular with tuners.  I'm not sure if they sold the notchback to the public.  If they did not many people bought them. 

[GoCougs]

Ha, ha! The 1969 Polara 440 takes the win! Coolest cop car of all time IMO and was the quickest/fastest until it surpassed by the 1993 LT-1 Camaro.

[GoCougs]

The Mustang is awesome and those former patrol cars are popular with tuners.  I'm not sure if they sold the notchback to the public.  If they did not many people bought them. 

They did, as the LX, which could be had with the 5.0 and 5sp M/T (I almost bought one in '96). IIRC, they were a bit lighter, stiffer and less expensive WRT the hatchback variant.

[Mustangfan2003]

I kinda like the looks of them better.  My cousin used to have one but it was once a Florida trooper car. 

[GoCougs]

Man, I so wanted that car. I could afford the car but the insurance at age 24 was a complete deal breaker at ~$200/mo (equivalent to ~$350/mo today).

[Mustangfan2003]

I pay about $80 a month on my car.  I'd probably go ahead and drop it down to liability if I had a second car. 

[hotrodalex]

Man, I so wanted that car. I could afford the car but the insurance at age 24 was a complete deal breaker at ~$200/mo (equivalent to ~$350/mo today).

Sounds just like the story my dad tells sometimes. Apparently in like 1978 he could have picked up a '65 Corvette for a couple thousand but the insurance was killer (like 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the car each year). He still wishes he got it. Would have been worth 5 times as much by now.

[cawimmer430]

Totally digging that '71 Mercury Monterey. 

[hotrodalex]

Wimmer never fails at liking the crappiest car.

[cawimmer430]

Wimmer never fails at liking the crappiest car.

It might be crap, but the design is a masterpiece IMO. 

I want mine with power steering, though!

[GoCougs]

I pay about $80 a month on my car.  I'd probably go ahead and drop it down to liability if I had a second car. 

Sounds just like the story my dad tells sometimes. Apparently in like 1978 he could have picked up a '65 Corvette for a couple thousand but the insurance was killer (like 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the car each year). He still wishes he got it. Would have been worth 5 times as much by now.

Somewhere in the last ~15 years it seems insurance for high risk (i.e., young male drivers) seems to have gotten more manageable.

[cawimmer430]

The Mustang is awesome and those former patrol cars are popular with tuners.  I'm not sure if they sold the notchback to the public.  If they did not many people bought them. 

No offense, but the only Mustangs I care about are the '64 to '67 models. The early '70s model is still "acceptable" but after that I just don't feel the design.

NO OFFENSE. 

[hotrodalex]

What about the current ones?

[cawimmer430]

What about the current ones?

They're pretty sweet because of the retro design ('67 Fastback). Remember, I drove the Shelby Ford Mustang GT500 Super Snake during my photoshoot with it. Pretty cool stuff!

But you know me: '50s to '70s is where it's at! 

[CJ]

Where's the Volvo S70 T5?

[cawimmer430]

Where's the Volvo S70 T5?

[CJ]

That's a V70.

[cawimmer430]

That's a V70.

Get over it! I could have easily posted a photo of a 1974 Dodge Monaco to piss you off!  

[cawimmer430]

This thread needs more WIN. 

[GoCougs]

The '69 Polara was a much better car though.

[GoCougs]

Saw this last Saturday at a car show. I think it's a 1958. Was in perfect condition too:

[cawimmer430]

The '69 Polara was a much better car though.

No doubt, but I totally dig the '74 Monaco from a design POV.

Saw this last Saturday at a car show. I think it's a 1958. Was in perfect condition too:

Gorgeous! LAPD police car trim is where the coolness is at! 

[rohan]

No '79 CHP Camaro?  YOU SUCK JAY LENO

[Morris Minor]

Great restoration job. CHP told Dodge these had to run at 100 mph for one hour in 100F heat.
http://youtu.be/iX8dbrzedd0

[Madman]

Those old police cars remind me of watching Adam 12 on TV as a kid.

For those of you too young to remember it, you can find plenty of episodes on YouTube.

[GoCougs]

Watched that a few days ago. Fantastic car. Video is all FUBAR atm for some reason (amazing how bad YouTube sucks). Check out 19:00 forward and the 4bbl howl of that 383. Nothing like it today.

[JWC]

What is interesting for me when watching something about sixties autos, especially this CHP car, is that I remember having selling parts for cars of this period (I worked auto parts in the seventies)--and I remember the listings for spec'd alternators and shocks. We kept some alternators on the shelf for police cars.

I talked to an old-timer when I worked at the Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealership (small dealership in a backwoods town) about this era of police cars and their personal cars. He was a teen at the time. His father was a well-to-do farmer. The boys of his means would get a new car every year. They would pick it up, drive it for a couple of weeks, then pull the engine. They would take the engine to Charlotte and have a racing team build it up, then put it back in their personal car. Police cars were usually Valiants or Darts. They came as Interceptors or Patrol vehicles. Patrol cars were mostly weaker town cars built for nothing more than riding around town checking on locked doors. Interceptors were highway cars built for speed.

And I always found the vent windows in my VWs just as comfortable for cooling as the A/C on my other cars.

[cawimmer430]

When will Jay have a 1974 Dodge Monaco on his show?