Chrysler-badged Fusie Cop Cars?

[amazinblue82]

The Chrysler-branded C-body fuselage police cars. Any documented cases of them?

We all know there were Dodge/Plymouth Polara and Fury squads in the fusie era. And we also know about the formals (e.g, 1976 Newport "A38" cars) with Chrysler badges.

Various posts are sprinkled throught many different threads on this as to the existence of a Chrysler-badged fusie. The discussions were "vigorous" sometimes but I didnt see a resolution posted.

Well this sure looks like one .. a West Virginia State Police (1973?) Newport with pursuit capability on duty.

Thoughts?

Courtesy: West Virginia State Police

 

[detmatt]

That's a kool shot, slightly off topic, I heard in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the MSP they'll be wearing special hats and there will be a special display at the Detroit Auto Show including vintage cruisers.

 

[Carmine]

There certainly were Buick/Ponitac and Mercury squads in that era.

I wanna bet any Chrysler units had an additional "hang on" speedo, since a separate police dash would have been too much work, and ribbon-style speedos probably weren't considered accurate enough for tickets.

 

[amazinblue82]

The "debate" in some of the other threads started around 'uplevel" trimmed fusies without the "K" designation second digit in the VIN,

Were they or were they not "police" cars (many had "M" as second digit, carpeting, plush interiors, etc)?. We did conclude they were every bit "police" as the "K"s after some wrangling -- heck, a lot of us have/had them or otherwise are knowledgable of them.

Then, we went to the "A38" police package code designation -- when did it start, what was in it, etc. we got through all that as a I recall largely in agreement.

But then there was an open question. were there Chrysler-badged fusie cop cars? I think it was a "hung jury" as we didn't settle the case for their existence with hard evidence.

Maybe it was solved over the past 18 months and I missed it .. but I just found this car today trying to follow up on that Secret Service car in the For Sale forum

 

[72Fury]

My guess is that the car does not have a police package. Your thoughts on the speedometer are probably true. I do know that many police departments would sometimes get a car off of the local dealers lot, which would indicate that there was no police package on the car. I would guess that happened more in rural areas, than a big city that would actually enter the bid process and order multiple cars.

 

[Carmine]

My guess is that the car does not have a police package. Your thoughts on the speedometer are probably true. I do know that many police departments would sometimes get a car off of the local dealers lot, which would indicate that there was no police package on the car. I would guess that happened more in rural areas, than a big city that would actually enter the bid process and order multiple cars.

I'm a low-level city official and vote on buying police cars all the time. The modern way to do it is for smaller cities to form a buying consortium and receive better prices with group bids. All our cars come from Slingerland Chrysler/Dodge, which appears to be one step over a gas station in some tiny MI town. A local dealer agrees to do the service.

*I don't think we're any smarter now, it's just that email, web portals, etc. make all this stuff a lot easier than traveling around and mailing letters, etc.

 

[amazinblue82]

My guess is that the car does not have a police package. Your thoughts on the speedometer are probably true. I do know that many police departments would sometimes get a car off of the local dealers lot, which would indicate that there was no police package on the car. I would guess that happened more in rural areas, than a big city that would actually enter the bid process and order multiple cars.

I see the WV Statie a bit different. I think its an A38 "police package" car. Its got a vinyl roof, but that just makes me think its a "boss cop" car maybe but still a pursuit-equipped rig.

Without relitigating the A38 thing, we consensed that option intro'd as early as 1971, and turned ANY C-body trim (L, M, or H in second VIN position) level into a police car (as perks for supervisors, captains, chiefs ,etc. in law enforcement). The debate left open whether Chrysler-badged cars could be A38 cars too.

Anyway, WV, a big-enough fleet buyer, dealt directly with Chrysler iwould guess on their bids and may have got a few pursuit-class Newport fusies. That's my theory.

Its just a possible though, they got an R/B equipped (in case the thing had to go to work as chase something down), blinged out Newport off a local dealer lot and dressed it up as a "police or police-package car" -- when it really wasnt.

I am just hopin' we get to the point where somebody posts "documented evidence" from Chrysler, or a fleet, or an owner (build sheet) of a fuselage Chrysler-badged, factory-built "police" or "police-package" car.

 

[Dobalovr]

I'm a low-level city official and vote on buying police cars all the time. The modern way to do it is for smaller cities to form a buying consortium and receive better prices with group bids. All our cars come from Slingerland Chrysler/Dodge, which appears to be one step over a gas station in some tiny MI town. A local dealer agrees to do the service.

*I don't think we're any smarter now, it's just that email, web portals, etc. make all this stuff a lot easier than traveling around and mailing letters, etc.

We supply several jurisdictions with SSV (special service vehicles) ranging from Charger Enforcers to Durango's to undercover cars. FCA definitely has a great product in the Charger but the Ford Exploder is far and away better equipped than the Durango. The process is much the same as many years ago. Requests for quotes are sent out to "preferred" Dealers and usually low bid wins. However if an Agency has a definite preference they will skew the RFQ so that only the preferred brand has a chance to win. Example: vehicle must have factory built-in boxside storage..Rambox wins Ford/GM lose. I just had this happen for a Fish Cop truck we sold. The only time we sell out of stock versus factory order is when its for undercover use. Many times we actually lend the LEA a car for a few days for surveillance. For some reason they prefer Loaded Ram Sport trucks guess all the cool drug lords drive them now...lol

 

[commando1]

All our cars come from Slingerland Chrysler/Dodge, which appears to be one step over a gas station in some tiny MI town. A local dealer agrees to do the service.

Sounds like a mutually beneficial situation for all.

 

[MrMoparCHP]

The CHP used a Chrysler in 1962. For some reason they were fixated on 122" wheelbases

Alan

 

[traintech55]

From 1973 to 1975 I owned a former state of Illinois Secretary of State police 1969 Chrysler Newport. I know this as a fact as residue of the markings, spotlight, and all the wiring for the wig wag headlights were still on the car. Man did I have fun with that thing. For the longest time I had the nickname, "Narc". Wish I still had it today

 

[A38E86D32]

I know the NJSP used New Yorkers as unmarked cars.

 

[amazinblue82]

I know the NJSP used New Yorkers as unmarked cars.

hey man. thanks for chimin' in

we know I have the NJ Statie Fury III, E86, "H" price clase, unmarked, etc. ...enough bling on it to have been badged Chrysler.

I am pretty confident the Chrysler badged (Newport and/or New Yorker) vehicles must have had police-packages available.

The '73 WV Newport in post is the only one I have seen .. but no real "proof" it was an A38 car ,, yet

hope your '71 is coming along .. my '72 is draggin so i gotta go crack the whip on the guys. Good holidays!

 

[rod440]

The car in the photo has factory dual exhaust,also has big blackwall tires,something you probably wouldn't find in a dealer's inventory, be it a Dodge,Plymouth or Chrysler . Sure looks like a fleet car to me. Has anyone ever seen a '73 Chrysler with a factory installed HP engine,or a '72 for that matter, with or without a police package?

 

[amazinblue82]

The car in the photo has factory dual exhaust,also has big blackwall tires,something you probably wouldn't find in a dealer's inventory, be it a Dodge,Plymouth or Chrysler . Sure looks like a fleet car to me. Has anyone ever seen a '73 Chrysler with a factory installed HP engine,or a '72 for that matter, with or without a police package?

Thanks. the 1973 WV fusie looks like the real thing to me too as I noted.

I am s till working on proving that, for that car or some other I hope to find. Hard evidence must be out there .. even if the cars are gone physically by now.

On the U-coded Chrysler badged fusies, I have never seen one (police or otherwise) after 1971 either .. if this '73 WV statie Newport is NOT one.

As for a 1972, check out this member's U code civilian car here: Uncle Charlie's Fury

 

[lemondana]

Sorry I don't post much, but I watch for any police posts. Years ago I acquired a 1973 Chrysler Newport with the U-code 440. The car was to far gone to do anything with. It had a broken torsion bar and the floors were rusted fairly bad. It did run, I still have the 440 and 727, also the fender tag and the build sheet, that I have stuck away some place that I couldn't find right now. It had dual exhaust and had State of Missouri printed on the bottom of the build sheet. When I find them I will post more information.

 

[amazinblue82]

Sorry I don't post much, but I watch for any police posts. Years ago I acquired a 1973 Chrysler Newport with the U-code 440. The car was to far gone to do anything with. It had a broken torsion bar and the floors were rusted fairly bad. It did run, I still have the 440 and 727, also the fender tag and the build sheet, that I have stuck away some place that I couldn't find right now. It had dual exhaust and had State of Missouri printed on the bottom of the build sheet. When I find them I will post more information.

Thank you lemondana. That would be good evidence that supports their existence .. at least in 1973 like the WVSP Newport appears to be.

The Newport police version apparently resurfaced in 1976 for one year then went away in the formal years too.

Thanks a bunch if you can find something to post on you former car.

 

[Carmine]

The WVSP car in the photo is also a base model, not a Custom, which would have had extra trim on the deck lid.

Here's something for debate in 2055...

 

[amazinblue82]

The WVSP car in the photo is also a base model, not a Custom, which would have had extra trim on the deck lid.

Here's something for debate in 2055...

thanks on the WVSP car.

not many of us will be debating the subaru ... but yeah, i can see it happening on the 300 though ... "were there any Chrysler-badged police cars in 2016 - anybody seen one?"

maybe it'll only be Australia if it happens -- those future debaters in this country may never know.

hopefully there still be C body lovers in 40 years, 80 years after they went out of production

 

[Carmine]

thanks on the WVSP car.

not many of us will be debating the subaru ... but yeah, i can see it happening on the 300 though ... "were there any Chrysler-badged police cars in 2016 - anybody seen one?"

maybe it'll only be Australia if it happens -- those future debaters in this country may never know.

hopefully there still be C body lovers in 40 years, 80 years after they went out of production

Just to come "full circle" on something touched upon in the museum thread...

It's beyond asinine that you can buy an Chrysler SRT 300 in virtually any market but North America. All of this to push Chrysler down/market-mainstream so they won't compete against an imaginary car (Alfa-Romeo) that will never be anything but a boutique brand.