Muscle Cars in Blue – History of Dodge Police Vehicles – Part 2
7 years ago
Heritage
Part TWO: 1976-2005
Less Was More: Down-Sizing and Efficiency Take the Lead
By 1975, the American muscle car era had run its course…at least for the time being. Growing concerns over energy sustainability, air pollution and shaky economic realities triggered a massive shift toward smaller cars. But even though the average horsepower of the typical car was slashed, they were still quite capable of being driven irresponsibly.
Dodge was there with a wide variety of offerings to fit the needs of law enforcement teams small and large. For the first time, the compact A-body Dart (and its cousin the Plymouth Valiant) were up-fitted with the A38 police package. Riding on a 111-inch wheelbase, the Dart was agile and quickly became a favorite on inner-city beats, though top power was restricted to a 360 small block with as much as 220 horsepower.
1976 Valiant – Dodge’s smallest domestic offering, the compact A-body Dart, was a true sleeper when equipped with the 220-horsepower 360 4-barrel. The A38 police package was restricted to 4-door sedans like this Plymouth Valiant. Smaller 2-door Dart Swinger hardtops and Dart Sport fastbacks were not available in police trim.
1977 Aspen Police Car – Launched in 1976, the Dodge Aspen (and Plymouth Volare) were replacements for the hugely popular A-body. They’re referred to as the F-body. Chrysler waited one year for the civilian versions to settle in before launching the A38 Police Pursuit packages. Available with 225 Slant Six, 318 small block and 360 small block power, these unit-construction F-bodies earned good responses from law enforcement.
1978 Aspen Police Pursuit – One controversial feature of the F-body was its transverse torsion bar front suspension. Though beefy enough for normal use, curb jumping tended to affect tire alignment. 1976 marked the introduction of the popular “Mopar® cop wheel”. Sized at 15×7 inches and punched with six cooling slots, they’re a quick way to identify an A38.
1980 Dodge St. Regis Police Pursuit – Dodge discontinued the full-size Royal Monaco in 1977. Filling its shoes for 1979 was the new St. Regis. Its 118.5-inch wheelbase was a few inches less than the outgoing Royal Monaco’s 121.5-inch span, but it retained the traditional longitudinal twin torsion bar front suspension used – and applauded – since 1957. Since the 400 and 440 big block engines – and their tooling – were scrapped after 1978, the St. Regis A38 Police Pursuit was offered with 225 Slant Six, 318 and 360 small block V8 power. Weighing 700 pounds less than a 440-powered 1977 Royal Monaco, the 195-horsepower St. Regis Pursuit was nearly as quick and fast. Its 122.9 mph top speed was only 1.1 mph less than a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am (124 mph).
1982 Dodge Reliant Police Scout Car – The 1981 Chrysler K-car was the right car at the right time. Helping to save Chrysler Corp. from financial oblivion, the Dodge Aries K (and cousin Plymouth Reliant K) was also America’s first front-wheel-drive police car. With its 99.9-inch wheelbase, transverse-mounted, 84-horsepower, 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine and lightweight construction, Dodge police car marketing materials referred to it as being “ideal for in-town police duties that don’t require pursuit work”. Reinforcing the fact the K-car wasn’t a fighter, it was marketed as the “Aries Scout Car”. They were also popular with college campus police departments.
1988 Plymouth Gran Fury – The Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare F-bodies were renamed Diplomat and Gran Fury after 1981 but the basic bones remained through 1989. So did their A38 police pursuit packages. This 1988 Gran Fury packed the 175-horsepower 318 4-barrel. Its trademark 15×7 inch police wheels are capped by equally distinctive “bottle caps”. Note the 18 holes punched into each cap to release trapped air from the hubs and brakes.
In the next installment of this three-part series on Dodge police cars, the stars aligned in 2006 with the return of rear-wheel drive, the Dodge Charger and the mighty HEMI® engine. Could anything top the 440 magnum-powered Dodge Monacos of the “good old days”? Tune in and find out!
