Police Patrol Package: 1987 Plymouth Gran Fury
“One Adam-12, one Adam-12, a 2-11 in progress. One Adam-12 handle code-3″… Everyone under 50 years of age just fell asleep. This 1987 Plymouth Gran Fury Police Patrol Package car is listed here on eBay in Warren, Michigan. There is an unmet opening bid of $3,400 and no reserve after that. Let’s check it out.
The Jack Webb-produced tv show, Adam-12, ended a solid dozen years before this Gran Fury was made but it’s maybe my favorite show so I couldn’t resist. The seller says that this car was formerly with the State of Michigan Department of Corrections at the Northville Mental Hospital. Whoa. If this backseat could talk… For the record, that’s a Setina Prisoner Partition.
This Gran Fury sure looks loaded down with police doo-dads, and then some. It’s got all of the lights, push bars, strobes, si-reens (sirens), etc. It would be nice for a vintage car show. The seller bought it at an auction and added it to their Private Police Agency which they closed in 2008. This car is very well equipped, the list of features that the seller shows on their auction page is impressive.
For $300 a person could upgrade just the light bar on the roof and it would look almost like a real police car for late-night hijinx with bar patrons. For the record, I’m not suggesting that anyone buy an old police car and drive it around to intimidate the horrible drivers out there on our formerly-safe-and-courteous streets. Although, how many times have you seen an old black-and-white and you straightened up and slowed way down before realizing that it’s just an old former police car.
There are no engine photos but the VIN decodes to the top engine for this car at the time which was a 318 V8. The seller mentions the 8706 Police Patrol Package and they say that this car has a 360 cubic-inch V8 with a 4-barrel. Allpar mentions that the 360 had gone away even for police duty after 1984 and this car VINs out to be a 1987 so I’m missing something somewhere. Do any of you know about the 8706 Police Package? Have any of you owned a former police car? And even more importantly: do any of you remember Adam-12?
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Comments
Yes, Scotty, a few of us remember Adam-12..and CHiPs, Hill Street Blues (the East Coast version of Adam 12 and Dragnet?) and George Kennedy as The Blue Knight.
My friends at the local law enforcement outfits tell me that the ‘87 Gran Fury/Dodge Diplomat 318 differentiated from the civilian version by having a 4 bbl instead of a 2 bbl; the last year for the 360 ci in a squad car was 1983..
With that, it’d be more fun to have an old squad car that was driven by two guys driving to the Cook County Assessors Office on A Mission from God while wearing suits, Fedora hats and dark glasses even at night….
The police package Diplomat/Gran Fury drivetrain was somewhat different and would not interchange with the civilian model. it had the 318 engine with 360 heads. certified speedometer too,a quick look at the speedometer in this may tell if it was just a non police car.
If this was a Dept of Corrections car, it would have left s very cushy life, put-putting around a prison property. Mileage would be on the low side.
If this is a true police package it will have on the data plate the letters “AHB” to denote police package .Earlier cars were coded “A38 “.
Doesn’t smell right….
Ebay ad shows an 85mph speed and the poofy seats and carpet usually weren’t on police cars….in addition to the 360 bs, which as others have pointed out, wasn’t available in 1987.
Someone needs to be brought in to the station for further questioning…….
Good point, Ralph-those seats WON’T smell right the 1st time some sodden drunk driver in the back seat loses it on the carpet and on the cloth seat…
“Book ‘em, Dano!”
Should have the word “certified” on the Speedometer to help verify if it’s the
real deal.
The cushy interiors were available and were ordered on some supervisors cars and on unmarked units as undercover cars. I’ve seen a New Yorker ordered as a chiefs car .
You could, but its very uncommon, that and the 85mph speedo tell me that this is FAKE.
If this was a Dept of Corrections car, it would have led a very cushy life, put-putting around a prison property. Mileage would be on the low side.
why are the door jambs silver?
I for one am a tad under 50 and I love Adam 12. I watch the reruns on my DVR…. along with emergency and dragnet. And lest we forget mash. Got to add that to the mix. This is a nice clean cop car. Would love to scare the bejesus out of punks in my area.
MASH?? That’s funny,Jamie, your watching that as my daughter (now with a daughter of her own) did too! She loves Alan Alda’s dry wit and delivery.
Insofar as using the car for PsyOps,: for many years old patrol cars with dark windows were parked on the edge of town alongside of Hwy 95 in both Goldfield, NV. And Cliff House (outside ofHawthorne, NV., 130 mile away!). You could tell who the Flatlanders were by the application and amount of braking used to slow upon their seeing the car(s).
Just as funny, though, the local law enforcement guys would occasionally park in the same spot and wait for the regulars who weren’t paying attention to detail.
Oh yeah and Emergency, Dragnet both the 50’s and 60’s versions, Car 54, Highway Patrol, ect… from recently on places like Antenna and COZI tv and even from way back when.
Yup, I do remember Adam 12 but I was abit ‘too young’ to watch the show then…
As for this Fury I highly suspect it’s not very authentic to how it looked when in active service. Northville Mental Hospital was a facility for mentally challenged juveniles more than roasted criminals.Its door jambs suggest it wore a neutral color, for what I know this cruiser was never uniformed rather used for patroling the hospital’s premises, picking up fugitives or simply utilized as a security taxi for transporting any juveniles to and from home when on leave.
The TwinSonic might be abit too old to be installed on an 87 cruiser(?) so I suspect that’s a later add-on, also the speaker would be installed closer to the grill or flush mounted if those bull bars are stock.
Photo documentation from its service days should be dug up, as it sits it seems to be cloned into looking more cruiser-like than it probably was
The front clip is from a Diplomat SE or Fifth Avenue with a Dippy SE grill. Grand Fury turn signals were under the headlights.
It’s hard to believe that a little sprucing up with the Fury you end up with an elegant 5th Avenue for ’87!
We used to call these Police Cars with a Pimp Top…..
I have Rescue 8 entire series on DVD . It’s easy to find. I also have Dr. Simon Locke Police Surgeon. A short lived 72 TV series and Petrocelli and the short lived 71 series Cades County with Glenn Ford . I love 70s obscure TV series of my childhood
I used to drive a base 1968 tan Belvedere sedan which had the exact same color interior as the 68 on Adam12 ,right down to the rubber flooring. The outside was just as plain, no trim at all ; it even had the dog-dish hubcaps . The only options it had were a 318 , p/s and an automatic . I wanted to buy a junk Roadrunner and convert mine to a big block car ,basically making a police car out of it with out the black and white paint , but real life stuff got it the way, and then the New England weather started taking its toll on the floors and rear quarters so it never happened . Don’t really know why, but even with all the cars I’ve owned, I still miss that car !.
This is a Plymouth not an AMC.
?
Who said anything about an AMC ? Belvederes were Plymouths
Miguel and karl, agreed; the AMC comment was probably made in reference to the fact the TV show used AMC Matadors from 1972 until the end of the series. LAPD used Matadors during that time as well, though they switched back to Plymouth while the show was still using AMC.
In high school, I drove a 1972 Police Matador in black and white. People certainly moved out of the left lane when I approached! It was a great car when it wasn’t choking itself out – too many police chases in its former life, I suppose.
This is a money maker.
Not as a collector (I can hardly see anyone laying awake dreaming about an 87 Plymouth) but for an Uber/Lyft driver – with that partition in place you can rest easy that the passenger is going to stay where he belongs. Plus you can flip on the overhead yellow flashers and get ’em to the airport in record time for that big tip :)
Uber does not allow cars older than 15 years, or commercial-marked cars.
https://help.uber.com/partners/article/vehicle-requirements?nodeId=2ddf30ca-64bd-4143-9ef2-e3bc6b929948
LOL Dennis! I guess I am out, nothing newer here that is 15 years or less. Take care, Mike.
Mike, Uber cars seem to always be Camrys, Accords, etc. Although one time I was picked up in a manual transmission Dodge Caliber. I had to admire the drivers skills while navigating and shifting through the traffic of downtown Boston.
No one has mentioned “Rescue 8” LA Fire Dept. Before Emergency.
As someone who spent quite a bit of time during the 80’s-90’s in these, I wish mine had been plush LOL. My guess is that this isn’t an actual police package, as it was purchased by DOC, and not the ‘real’ police. Therefore, they wouldn’t need all the cool options that ‘we’ need. My guess is that all the cool doo dads were added by the security company who’se livery this car wears. My own police car was an 88 Chevy Caprice police package that had been a Fire Dept car in Virginia. I drove that just like a ‘Blues Brothers’ car, scraped away decals/overspray and all. U joint failed on me on Hwy 301 in Charles County Md and that was that. Since this one isn’t likely a ‘true’ police package I can’t justify spending the money on it, but it certainly looks cool! Would love to see all those lights going, would be quite the show!
I had one from Clearwater Police Dept that I gutted and caged to run in a pure stock class at a local track. Installed a built 360 and an 8-3/4 spooled rear. Didn’t handle worth a damn but still won some races over the bowtie and blue oval crowd. What a blast…
As I have mentioned before I had a 1981 Dodge St.Regis ex Fl. Highway safety patrol car with real A38 Police Pkg. It had 318 with 360 Heads no lights or markings. It had cloth seat interior rubber floor mats unused back seat and 99,000 miles when I purchased it from the Merritt Sqr. shopping mall where it was used as a security vehicle. Talk about being driven slow. I loved that car
wish I could find another one great handling car.
A couple of things Ki forgot to mention it had a 125 MPH certified speedometer. Once I got rid of stock computer when it died, put on Holley spreadbore carb and dual exhaust that really woke it up.
As far as this car goes I have serious doubts about it beinga real Police Pkg. car
I suppose anything is possible but 85 MPH Speedo
raises a red flag. You can go to salvage yard and buy engine and computer, or just put 360 heads and intake on 318. Who knows.
My favorite speech of all time. Martin Milner RIP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InLP1ZfW8Gs
Boy did THAT bring back some memories.
Thanks for finding that, Howard.
Questionable heritage. But then, from what I understand, this wasn’t a police car, but owned by a security agency. The plushy interior kind of tells that tale, but then, back in the day, you could order your fleet any way you wanted. My Grandparents had one of these, ordered by the Indiana Department of Highways. It only had 19K miles. Oddly optioned. Tilt, but no cruise. AM radio. No rear defroster, but power everything else, with a vinyl top. If you would like to see an incredible offering in a Police Package, click on this link. It’ll make you drool !! 1 of 1, Fire Chief’s car. Yes, that is a tilt & telescoping wheel with rim blow horn ! And yet, no power windows ? Hmmmm…Must have been a wealthy city ! I would sell a kidney to have this one in my garage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5_jNHxWcSw
Car 54 where are you 👍