Muscle Cars in Blue – History of Dodge Police Vehicles – Part 1

Part ONE: 1956-1975

Big Cars, Big Blocks and Big Brakes

We’ve all been there. Blue lights fill the rearview mirror, palms sweat on the steering wheel and you nervously fumble to kill the ignition. Tag, you’re it. You haven’t yet met the police officer who pulled you over. He’s still inside the police cruiser entering your license plate number and confirming proper dash-cam function. What happens next is up to you…and what you just did.

Routine traffic stops have been part of life since the first privately owned automobiles triggered the need to keep disorderly drivers in check on public roadways. Through it all, local, state and federal police agencies have been partial to Dodge vehicles for their affordability and ability to absorb abuse while keeping pace with fleeing law-breakers.

Though far more than a simple traffic stop, as far back as 1916, Dodge touring cars played a vital role in helping U.S. Army Brigadier General John Pershing repel Francisco “Pancho” Villa’s paramilitary forces during the Mexican Revolution. Along with convoys of trucks, Pershing’s fleet of Dodge vehicles outran – and outgunned – its horse-riding adversary and marked the first motorized military action in U.S. Army history.

Back on Main Street U.S.A., the job of policing America’s growing network of public roads fell to local and state authorities, which employed cars of virtually every make during the pre-WWII years. Though no single carmaker held a firm lock on the law enforcement market at the time, Ford’s 1932 release of the so-called Flathead V8 was a landmark event. Offering big-car performance for the price of a six, good guys and bad guys loved them. Many Depression-era police chases pitted flathead against flathead.

In the bigger cities, where anti-mob efforts demanded large groups of boots, fists and Tommy guns, huge Cadillacs, Lincolns and Chryslers combined room for up to eight officers with 8-, 12- and even 16-cylinder engines to provide the necessary pep when fully loaded with G-Men raiding a gin joint or speakeasy. Since these massive machines were quite expensive, they were only justified in affluent big cities like Chicago, Detroit and N.Y.C.

World War II changed everything. Beyond the many advances in engine, transmission, metallurgy and gasoline technologies to emerge from the conflict, post-war prosperity brought urban sprawl and a need to connect it all together. On June 29, 1956, president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act which funded construction of 41,000 miles of high-quality, multi-lane roadways from coast to coast. These roads were ripe for a new kind of car, one that could cruise all day at 70 mph in comfort and style.

Naturally, as interstate drivers eagerly took to these miracle-smooth ribbons of tarmac, American carmakers increased engine size and vehicle performance. The great Detroit Horsepower race was on. Quickly, horsepower ratings crested the 200-, 300- and even 400-horsepower thresholds. Irresponsible speeders needed to be caught and would-be evaders had to be apprehended. A new breed of police vehicle arose to meet the need, the highway patrol car.

Chrysler Corporation’s first law enforcement special arrived in 1956 as the Dodge Coronet 230 Pursuit. Though Dodge (and Chrysler, DeSoto and Plymouth) had offered extra-duty taxi cab and export-based component packages that were adapted for law enforcement use for decades beforehand, the 1956 Dodge Coronet 230 Pursuit was the first Chrysler Corp. offering to include everything in one model. It was the beginning of the Dodge Police Pursuit dynasty that includes today’s HEMI^®-powered 160 mph Charger Pursuit.

Available with two-doors for ticket writing on the highway, or four-doors for patrol involving likely arrest and prisoner transport, the 1956 Coronet 230 Pursuit model included heavy-duty brakes, extra-ply high-speed tires, reinforced wheels, stiffer springs and shock absorbers, a faster steering ratio, roof bracket inserts to support externally mounted lights, antennas and sirens, heavy-duty seat frames and upholstery, stain resistant floor mats instead of cut-pile carpeting for longer wear, maximum-duty electrical systems to support add-on radio communication, flasher, siren and loud speaker systems, and much more.

And putting the “230” in the 230 Pursuit’s name, motivation came from a 315-cubic-inch Red Ram V8 with a single Carter WCFB four-barrel carburetor, 8.0:1 compression, hydraulic-lifter camshaft, dual exhaust and polyspherical (not hemispherical) combustion chambers. With 316 foot pounds of torque, the polyspherical-head 315 had plenty of guts to keep pace with all but the hottest showroom stockers. For ultimate police power, Dodge offered the 260-horsepower Super Red Ram 315 at extra cost.

With HEMI heads, a single four-barrel and a solid lifter cam, the Super Red Ram was the same engine fitted to 1956 Dodge D-500 Coronets (Dodge’s first “package muscle car”). Records show that 200 of these D-500 powered stormers were purchased by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to even the odds in and around Los Angeles, the “birthplace of hot rodding”.

With the 1956 Coronet 230 Pursuit, Dodge salesmen finally offered one-stop police car shopping to all levels of law enforcement. Plymouth joined the game in 1957 when it’s Fleet Sales Division added police business to its traditional taxi and export programs. Chrysler followed in 1961 with the Enforcer line of law enforcement cars based on its entry-level Newport and Windsor models.

Through the decades since, Dodge (and Plymouth and Chrysler) police cars played a major role in promoting public safety and catching bad guys. In this first installment of our three-part review of behind-the-badge Dodge offerings, lets concentrate on some highlights from 1956 to 1975. And remember, only newbies call Chrysler Corp. police cars “Interceptors”. Truth be told, that’s an F-word (as in F-O-R-D nomenclature). Since the Dearborn bunch trademarked that name, around Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler squad car fans, we call ’em Pursuits (the name was used at various times by Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler through the years).

Elwood: It’s got a cop motor, a four hundred and forty 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. What do you say? Is it the new Bluesmobile or what?[Jake lights a cigarette using his own lighter.]

1915 Dodge – Similar to General Pershing’s fleet of open top Dodge touring cars, this 1915 Dodge Brothers model 30-35 is one of nearly 45,000 built during the second year of Dodge Brothers automobile output. All-steel, welded body construction resisted fatigue on rough terrain. With 35 horsepower, it’s more mountain goat than freeway flier.

1956 Pursuit – The Detroit Horsepower race was in full swing when the 1956 Dodge Coronet 230 Pursuit made its debut. Note the two-door body style favored by highway patrol officers who rarely made arrests.

Ausco Lambert Brake – Fast cars need big brakes. Though discontinued after 1954, up-sized brakes like the four-wheel Ausco-Lambert “Safety Brake” enclosed disc brake system were tested on Dodge law enforcement package cars. Most 1956-1964 Dodge Pursuits relied on massive 11- and 12-inch drum brakes until 1965 when full-size Polara Pursuits offered front disc brakes.

1957 Dodge Pursuit – 1957 brought firm torsion bar front suspension and totally new “Swept Wing” body styling. Maximum power was up to 310 horses in 1957 when the 325-cubic-inch Super D-500 HEMI was specified. Again, note the two-door body style.

Dodge 383 8-Barrel – In 1958, the less costly 361-cubic-inch Super D-500 big block “wedge” replaced the 325-cube Super D-500 HEMI as the top engine option. With tandem Carter AFB 4-barrels, a hot cam, dual-point ignition and dual exhaust, it made 320 horsepower (up 10 versus the 1957 2×4 HEMI). More popular was the single 4-barrel D-500 version of the 361 wedge with 285 horsepower. Police cars typically cover 50,000 miles per year, so fuel economy is a major factor.

1962 Dodge Max Wedge 4-Door – This 1962 Dodge 440 four-door was ordered new with the 413 Ramcharger engine. Gotta be the top police offering, right? Not so fast. Law enforcement service departments strictly avoid high-maintenance machinery like the Max Wedge, which was designed strictly for drag racing. In fact, every Max Wedge came with a warranty disclaimer stating that full throttle acceleration was to be limited to 15 seconds. No sane police chief specified the Max Wedge.

1963 Dodge Pursuit – With its fender and roof-mounted emergency lights and siren, this four-door 1963 Dodge 330 sedan is typical of the breed. Dodge used the Pursuit name to denote police models even when power came from a Slant Six or 318 V8. Roof reinforcement plates and multi-terminal wiring harnesses were included to support electronic accessories and radio equipment.

1965 Street HEMI Prototype – With its fender and roof-mounted emergency lights and siren, this four-door 1963 Dodge 330 sedan is typical of the breed. Dodge used the Pursuit name to denote police models even when power came from a Slant Six or 318 V8. Roof reinforcement plates and multi-terminal wiring harnesses were included to support electronic accessories and radio equipment. Photo by Marty Schorr

Dodge 440 – An outgrowth of the 1959 413 big block, the 440 Magnum arrived in 1967 with dual exhaust, 375 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft. of torque, making it the most potent Dodge police engine yet. The dual snorkel air cleaner and arched, high-flow exhaust manifolds shown here separate the Magnum from a lesser (350 hp) version of the 440. Though offered aboard mid-sized (B-body) Dodge muscle cars like the 1967 Charger and Coronet R/T, police 440 Magnum applications were restricted to full-size (C-body) Polara Pursuits.

1968 Plymouth Police Car – Like the mid-sized Dodge Coronet Pursuit police package, the Plymouth Belvedere Pursuit was not offered with the 440 or Street HEMI. Still, at 330 horsepower, the top-tier 383 4-barrel was just 5 ponies shy of the 383 Magnum used in the 1968 Dodge Coronet Super Bee and Plymouth Road Runner. This restored 1969 Plymouth Belvedere Pursuit is used by the City of Bell, California, for parade and D.A.R.E. duty.

1971 Dodge Coronet Police – Mid-size police Pursuits like this Dodge Coronet were still restricted to 383 power in 1971. The 440 Six Packs and 426 HEMIs available to muscle car buyers were faster, but not as fast as the police radio network. Dodge discontinued all 2-door Coronets in 1971.

1973 Dodge Polara Pursuit – To many veteran police officers assigned highway patrol duty, nothing will ever surpass the 440 Polara Pursuit. Though this 1973 unit lacked the 10:1 compression of 1966-1971 models, it was still capable of handling most daily situations with ease. 1973 marked the introduction of standard front disc brakes as standard equipment on all Dodge police offerings.

Dodge Police Floorpan Reinforcements – Every aspect of the Dodge police Pursuit packages was scrutinized and improved for the severe nature of street and highway patrol use. This illustration shows the many welded-on metal reinforcement plates added to the chassis and unibody for added strength.

1975 Dodge Monaco Pursuit – 1975 marked a turning point in the auto industry as escalating fuel prices pinched many wallets and environmental concerns targeted exhaust emissions. The era of the big block-powered, full-size police cruiser was near its end. This 1975 Dodge Monaco Pursuit was the first 440 big block with catalytic converters. Unleaded gasoline was mandatory to avoid damage to the catalyst. A similar 1974 model was featured in the hit action-comedy film The Blues Brothers.

In the next installment of this three-part roundup of Dodge Police Pursuit history, we’ll examine how police vehicles kept pace with the trend toward smaller, “greener” cars while still staying one step ahead of speeders.

0 Comments