When an auto enthusiast decides to transform a car into a tribute to one featured on TV or in the movies, it’s the little details that sometimes separate an average effort from a truly remarkable outcome, and this Adam-12 police cruiser would undoubtedly fall into the latter category. Although the car used in the television series quickly changed to a 1968 Plymouth Belvedere, the pilot episode features a 1967 model, such as this one for sale here on eBay. This cool Mopar sedan is located in Arthur, Illinois, with a current and only bid of $10,000, which is understandably short of the reserve. Curvette, thanks for your great tip here!
This one’s also got a fun back story, as the seller reports he was only 15 when he bought the Belvedere from the original owner’s son in 2000. The following year, the car was taken to a body shop, where it was disassembled and rotisserie-restored. According to the seller, not one bolt was left untouched, and not one corner was cut, with the results seeming to live up to the owner’s claim that the car is in absolutely immaculate condition. Initially, the body is stated to have been Light Blue Poly, but the paint has been changed to reflect the colors on the Belvedere driven by Martin Milner in the Adam-12 series.
For the pilot episode, an actual police cruiser owned by the LAPD was loaned to the crew for filming, though later episodes used civilian cars dressed up by the studio to look like police units. While it would be nice to find a big block under the hood, this one’s powered by a 318, which is said to have been completely rebuilt along with the automatic transmission. That’s probably a satisfactory engine here, since this one doesn’t chase down bad guys and is primarily used for show. The mileage listing of just under 46k is reported to be actual.
The interior is in nice shape as well, with all the radio and emergency equipment you’d expect to find in an actual Los Angeles police car from this period. This replica is said to have won numerous awards at auto shows for authenticity and appearance, and it’s easy to believe the seller’s claim that this 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II turns heads everywhere it travels. With the rotisserie restoration and all the work that’s been done, I’m guessing the price will go up considerably before the gavel falls here. Any thoughts to share regarding this build, or memories about any of the other cars used in the Adam-12 TV series?
+1,000,000 for an Adam-12 reference, Mike! I’m up for that show on ME tv every single weekday morning. I’ve been a rabid fan for 50+ years now, that’s crazy. We drove to Minong, Wisconsin in 1972 to meet Marty Milner and Kent McCord and get their autographs. That’s me in the green shirt and my brother in brown, with our mom in the back watching her two little nerds.
Wow!!!! I’m liking BOTH the write up for this tribute ’67 Belvidere, AND that is an awesome memory and photo Scotty. This was very nicely done. I still remember when Adam 12 and EMERGENCY! Would come on the TV at night as a kid watching them. Great stuff here folks!!!
Leave it to our good friend, Barnard Phinds, to kickstart a new day. Wait, that and a little ether, okay then, so much has been written( by me) about Adam-12. It was probably the most realistic of the “Webb” series’. The initial opening theme changed several times, I always wanted a ring tone of the original.
It’s okay, you can let me have it, a kid? 15? Restoring a car? In Illinois? And why this? It’s a complicated hobby.
It should be noted, L.A. used Mercury Montegos, and could be seen in the parking lot of “the station”, the old Rampart station( yep, same as the hospital in Emergency) and only used 1 year, 1970, and the producers kept the Plymouth for the shows. 1 note, L.A. police cars did not have A/C, until 1972, when they switched to AMCs. Fun stuff, I read, Hollywood cast Milner as Karl Robinson, of the short lived series, “Swiss Family Robinson”, and a replacement couldn’t be found, and there never was an 8th season.
The kid did a nice job!
Oh, just one more thing( Columbo), sharp observers will note, many of the cars used in Dragnet, also showed up on Adan-12. Malloy’s gold Mustang, a ’66 Rambler Ambassador, and several others, including the ’55 Chevy from 2 lane Blacktop, and Red Formans Corvette as Reeds car in the last (?) episode. Jack Webb reportedly smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day, and was never seen without a cigarette, even though, rarely shown smoking in the show. He died of a heart attack in 1982 , he was 62.
https://youtu.be/jgYbogp1Ha0?si=ydNimHj9AVwYukvC
One of the very finest shorts from the day..
That’s a great pic Scotty. I suspect many of us Barn Finders have pleasant memories of the Jack Webb shows.
This is a very cool tribute Plymouth. For me it doesn’t matter that it doesn’t have a 440 and that there probably are other details which aren’t precisely correct. Because overall it is quite well done, and undoubtedly accomplishes what it is intended to do.
Thanks Mike, good write-up.
https://youtu.be/InLP1ZfW8Gs?si=4onXi0Xj1gSCbzGb
Malloy schools Reed before Reed gets behind the wheel
Needs the A 12 painted on the roof.