For Sale 1973 dodge polara police car, the real deal, texas police pkg. Mopar big block

[amazinblue82]

So is the consensus that this is not a 'cop' of some official capacity?

Glenn

others can chime in as they see fit. dunno if a consensus will form. :icon_winkle:

a lotta organizations had/have "police" units within them. I grew up thinking state and local "police" --those were the cars I saw (and hid from..but I digress) as an ordinary citizen.

I know now that other governmental outfits had "enforcement " divisions of some sort (My Border Patrol '77 GF for example)..many times called "police", sometimes not. and they had the same cars as the "cops" had.

so i think this Texas Polara is "police-spec", assuming that term has any technical meaning at all, as opposed to a "marketing term" used to target "heavy-duty" big, fast beasts for "enforcement" duties...be it the interstates, city streets, illegal hunting in state parks, or dirt roads on the border.

I wonder what the Fleet Manager at Chrysler called their cars when he/she was selling a herd of them to the Military or to a Fire Department, versus selling to the CHP?

 

[Samplingman]

A gentleman who followed a few of my auctions sent me this. More Fusie police cars.

Mid 1970's vintage Polaroid (not the best quality but you can tell what these are), a salvage yard presumably in Virginia or thereabouts.

A flock of 1973 Virginia State Police GF's gone "10-42". At least six of them..maybe more out of the shot.

View attachment 52582

Did you ever find that yard up in NY State you were looking for?

 

[MrMoparCHP]

What makes it a "Police Car" is that it was used by a Police department. Some agencies couldn't afford the special police package cars and just got normal cars, if documented this is a "Police Car". Dodge had a "Police Package" car that was made specifically with police in mind, if a Fire Department gets one for its Chief then it is a Fire Chiefs Car and not a Police Car. It is still a police package car but not used as a police car, doesn't change the fact that it is a cool car but without the true history restoring it as a police car is still a fake.

Yes Police Package cars were used by all sorts of other agencies and still have value.


Lets just say I feel good being able to say that my car is a true CHP used car and can prove it.


Alan

 

[cm23uoc]

Turning this Police package car into a Police car ruined it IMHO.

 

[amazinblue82]

Did you ever find that yard up in NY State you were looking for?

yes ...sorta. best sleuthing on it suggest it "went condo". thx for asking!

 

[amazinblue82]

What makes it a "Police Car" is that it was used by a Police department. Some agencies couldn't afford the special police package cars and just got normal cars, if documented this is a "Police Car". Dodge had a "Police Package" car that was made specifically with police in mind, if a Fire Department gets one for its Chief then it is a Fire Chiefs Car and not a Police Car. It is still a police package car but not used as a police car, doesn't change the fact that it is a cool car but without the true history restoring it as a police car is still a fake.

Yes Police Package cars were used by all sorts of other agencies and still have value.


Lets just say I feel good being able to say that my car is a true CHP used car and can prove it.


Alan

i dig this view. i too have gone after "police" cars...i still want a 69-77 Michigan State Police C-body ... specifically because of documented usage AS a "police" car.

An E86 "K" car used by the Michigan Agriculture Department is by definition NOT a Michigan State Police car...so it doesn't fit my goal.

BUT, if this hypothetical Michigan Agriculture Department car, tricked out like a Statie pursuit rig, was nice and complete, I would have bought it for what it was "built as" -- and then kept looking for a "used as" comparably-equipped State Police car.

As I found more examples that were equipped to a "police-spec" but "used" in other other ways, or never were in "law enforcement" at all but exist because a civilian wrangled it from a dealer, i widened my "strike zone" to include/try to save such cars. :- )

 

[Samplingman]

yes ...sorta. best sleuthing on it suggest it "went condo". thx for asking!

Too bad, but expected.

 

[bulldogchesty]

Why would my FumBuck county just recently buy this.
Because they can.

The Sheriff says they bought it in light of the increase in terrorism in this country...

It is all about being bigger and badder.

To protect you from ISIS !!!

 

[68plymouth383]

I agree with Alan's consensus of what a police car is. A parks and wildlife car is just that.... maybe they needed the spot light to catch poachers...

 

[68plymouth383]

What do you guys think his reserve is?.?...

 

[amazinblue82]

Screenshot of Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Kinda loo like "cops" to me.. specific law enforcement duties, organization structure, command titles, etc.

i know..hard to read. here's link: https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/about/divisions/law_enforcement/

never been a TV show about them I know of, but they probably got "stories" too about the stuff they have to deal with from the mundane to the morbid.

again, no debate by me on what people like/think/know are real "police" cars. just a data point on the car that started this thread and things it may have done when it was in service. :icon_wink:

 

[patrick66]

The last Mopar cops that were bought by the town I lived in then were four '73 Dodge Polaras with the police package. One was for the chief. He got the cloth inserts, the others were all vinyl. All were legit cop cars.

After the Dodges, they bought new 1976 Impala cop cars. One had a 454, and the others were 350s. They hated the Chevys!

 

[68plymouth383]

It's down to the wire folks....

 

[68plymouth383]

That's a rap boy's, and girls. I'am guessing his reserve was 10k.....

 

[saylor]

a game warden will mess you up down here.

I was fishing behind lake lavon spillway in weeds 15' tall, waaay back in the thick.

all of a sudden there was this ruckus like sasquatch coming thru the weeds.

it was a game warden, checking licenses.

they don't play.

 

[ZedR]

Parks and wildlife was a very poor agency until the late 70's. They weren't even provided patrol cars when they were first created. This vehicle is spec'd nearly identical to my Texas Highway Patrol 1972 Polara Custom (Black and White), with DM41 vin and police options.

My opinion: this was a Texas Highway Patrol supervisors car, that was given to parks and wildlife when retired. Commonplace back then for them to get DPS surplus.

 

[cm23uoc]

There only original once, and this is the real deal...not a tribute car. The papers in the glove box show this car was issued from the State of Texas to the Texas Parks and Wild Life Department. Its also the same car Texas used in 1973 as the DPS Highway Patrol cars with the exception of this car being a “Custom” Polara, suggesting it was used by a Supervisor Game Warden. It has nicer seats and wood grain trim.


Sticking to the Statements given by the seller, apart from the Interpretation of an original patrol car, this one already started life at Tx. parks and wildlife.

 

[MrMoparCHP]

There only original once, and this is the real deal...not a tribute car. The papers in the glove box show this car was issued from the State of Texas to the Texas Parks and Wild Life Department. Its also the same car Texas used in 1973 as the DPS Highway Patrol cars with the exception of this car being a “Custom” Polara, suggesting it was used by a Supervisor Game Warden. It has nicer seats and wood grain trim.


Sticking to the Statements given by the seller, apart from the Interpretation of an original patrol car, this one already started life at Tx. parks and wildlife.

If that is what the car was then that is the way it needs to be restored, to restore the car as a Highway Patrol car makes it a tribute/clone/fake car if it was never used by the Highway Patrol as a Highway Patrol car.

If a car was used by one agency then by another then you have a choice.


Alan

 

[cm23uoc]

That was exactly my Train of thought when I said for me the car is sort of ruined with the application of the Police car tinsel.
Personally I would even prefer such a rather civil Police package car over a real one, I like sleepers in General.

 

[moonrunner1972]

The back seat of my 73' NCSHP Polara has a cloth insert.