What Are Your Favorite 70's Cars?

[BadgerAZ]

It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas.

Two dry toast, comin' up!

[HTRN]

"I don't like it".


HTRN

[randy]

Starting in the early 70's, the old worn out Dodge police cars started coming on the city auction blocks, Belvederes, Polaras, other I can't recall. Not real sexy looking rides but under the hood would be a 440 Police Interceptor engine.

1974 Dodge Monaco

It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas.

I thought this thread could use more pictures

[MiddleAgedKen]

Randy for the win!

[308Mike]

I thought this thread could use more pictures

Great pic, but they don't release used cop cars to the public with Pursuit Radials still on the rims. Those tires are extra gummy and wear out VERY fast, they are designed from TRACTION and HANDLING, not gas mileage - and in some places they're lucky to get 10,000 miles from them.

It was the Pursuit Radials which doomed a cop-killer, a Sheriff's Department Sgt's son who stole his dad's patrol car, then ran into Kirk Johnson in a secluded area of Highway 52, and thinking he was a fellow cop, the suspect drew alongside in a marked Sheriff's patrol car, then shot him multiple times with his dad's stolen .357 Magnum:

Patrolman Kirk Leland Johnson
San Diego Police Department
California
End of Watch: Sunday, February 20, 1983

Biographical Info
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Sunday, February 20, 1983
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life

Patrolman Johnson was shot and killed by a 17-year-old boy who had stolen his father's sheriff's uniform and marked patrol car. When Patrolman Johnson pulled up to next to what he thought was a uniformed deputy the suspect opened fire, killing him.

The case remained unsolved for over a month before a witness came forward and identified the suspect. The suspect was subsequently convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 17 years to life in prison. He is eligible for parole in 2007.

Patrolman Johnson had served with the agency for 2 years. He was survived by his wife.

Officer Kirk Leland Johnson

Officer Kirk Leland Johnson was in his police car at 1:30 a.m. on February 20 in a deserted park in San Diego when he was shot five times in the head and chest.

It is often said that every man, regardless of his past, becomes a saint at his funeral. In death, he is infused with qualities of patience, reverence, generosity and faith out of all proportion to his living record. No cause exists to embellish what he was. He was a good man, a good cop, a good Christian.

Kirk L. Johnson laughed with his buddies, loved his wife, and prayed with his friends.

Born and raised in Illinois, he graduated from high school there in 1975. Nothing remarkable, except that he was "always pushing," trying for something better, trying to improve himself. Johnson enlisted in the Army in 1975, and spent almost two years stationed in Hawaii, eventually rising to the rank of sergeant in the Infantry. Nothing remarkable, except that he kept pushing. More schools, more training. More varied experiences, more involvement. He received an associate degree from the University of Maryland. Nothing remarkable; he just kept pushing for more.

In an age and time when it was the ethos of the young to be "lost," to "search for yourself," to "try to find out where your head is," he needed not search for a self he already knew. He was a good friend, a good soldier, a reliable sergeant. Nothing remarkable; not a hot shot; nobody's "golden boy," he just kept pushing for something better, something more.

Johnson was honorably discharged from the Army, and hired by the San Diego Police Department in January 1980. Background investigators and interviewers were favorably impressed, commenting on his maturity for his age, his openness and honesty. They noted that many of his personal references were members of his church, fellow members of a prayer group he attended. They noted nothing very remarkable, just a very open, honest young man, deeply religious, who told them he had enjoyed serving his country and looked forward to serving his community.

Johnson graduated third out of 40 San Diego officers in his Academy class, with a 94.5-A-average. Within arm's reach of the honor graduate title, he kept pushing right up to the last day of class.

In his service as a patrol officer, his sergeants consistently noted that he was "aggressive . . . always above average in work activity. . . volunteered for radio calls up to the last minute of his shift . . . never stopped looking for activity . . . continued increasing the level of quality of his work . . ." He kept pushing, every day.

Johnson pushed every minute throughout he shift, ran with his friends after work, laughed in the locker room, and went home to his wife. He was active in his church, and tried to share his beliefs through his actions rather than by his words. He was proud of a Commanding Officer's Citation for an outstanding arrest, and kept pushing harder.

Had Kirk Johnson pushed less, not been so much of a volunteer, a little less inquisitive, he might be alive today. Had he been the sort to let suspicious circumstances go unchecked, or not followed through on his hunches with such determination, he might still be among us. But it wouldn't have been Kirk. It is to his credit, and his honor, and to the honor of our department, that he never let up, never stopped pushing.

We need no superlatives, no flowery figures of speech to do honor to Kirk Johnson.

He was a good man.
He was a good cop.
We shall miss him.

And yes, I went to his funeral, and those were the Chief's words at his eulogy.

At least in SoCal, those tires DO NOT go to the public. They have specific patterns and compositions and are immediately identifiable as Pursuit Radials used by law enforcement - and they don't last for shit. Working Traffic, we've gone through a set in 7,500 miles (and a few pursuits too).

Then again, what they do on the east coast wouldn't surprise me in the LEAST - with NO regard for public safety or lemon laws (many of those "surplus" police cars are just BEAT TO SHIT).

[Drone 7 of lots more]

'72 Chevelle Malibu wagon, previous owner stuffed what appeared to be a 454 in it, onliest wagon I ever saw with a Hurst on the floor. That there enlistment bonus went poof in a hurry, a whopping 2k after taxes back in '75. Useta scare the crap outa me on the highway, 3d gear doing 85+ and not even breathing hard. Never pushed it faster as the front end would get light, real light.

[Rich Jordan]

Heh! I've seen pictures of and story about a big-block Plymouth satellite wagon with a 4 speed; pretty sure it was a '70s model. I like wagons, I'd still love to have a full-size fuselage Chrysler wagon ('69-73, with '69-71 preferred, no air pumps or charcoal canisters)...

[Jericho941]

1970 Hemi Challenger - the car that basically inspired the new Dodge Challenger.

Something along these lines, yes.

[Netpackrat]

MGBGTV8

[evan price]

69-70 Ford Mustang Mach I, "G"-code 302 4bbl, close ratio 4-speed, 3.50:1 locking diff, silver blue metallic, black weave interior. A set of nice slot mags, and some fat rubber.