Watch any number of movies from the 1980s that featured anything approaching a cop car chase and I can practically guarantee a Gran Fury is involved. Even moving past the obvious choice of Blues Brothers (well, that was an older Fury), it wouldn’t surprise me if, much like the General Lee, thousands of Gran Furys were wiped out in the name of Hollywood exploits. This 1982 model here on eBay is said to be a genuine cop car package example that hasn’t been stripped of its beefed up components.
The seller has many, many project-grade vehicles and is limited on the details of each car. But the price is right, at just $850 or best offer. The seller also says the upgraded motor, suspension and other cop-specific components are still here, and the lack of a rear seat barrier may indicate this was a detective’s car as opposed to a full-scale cruiser. The interior actually looks quite tidy for a municipality-owned vehicle, aside from a sagging headliner. The other photo of the backseat shows what looks like unused seating surfaces.
The exterior, however, is quite well-used, obviously sitting outside for many years. The fixed antenna on the rear quarter is also likely the last remaining clue to a previously-installed CB radio. I can’t recall, but I do believe the police package vehicles had wider wheels – and those steel wheels do look a bit beefier than the pedestrian version. I suspect a good wash and wax would improve this Gran Fury’s cosmetics dramatically, certainly good enough to use as-is. Sheetmetal looks surprisingly straight.
There’s some evidence of damage on the driver’s side, with a crunched fender and dented rear door. I suspect that damage occurred while parked in this private salvage yard, and speaking of which, check out the other interesting project car candidates in the background. While I do know a lot of these Furys end up doing demolition derby duty, I hope this one is appealing as an original police package example that it won’t be hacked up for parts or subject to wanton destruction.
c’mon. Scrap already
I thought these were fairly decent cop cars and very reliable. I bet if you uncorked the stock motor with some goodies it would haul was too! And you know with torsion bars they handled good! but NO TITLE?I
Do people actually restore vehicles with little to no desirability or collectibility especially in this condition?
You never know what appeals to people. They might take this and restore it due to sentimental reasons. Not so much for resale value. Look. Take me for example. For me? Two door cars are useless. The doors are too heavy, the hinges are always bending, the back seats are totally useless unless your a teenager, exit/entry to the rear is a nightmare. I’m only in my 30s :)
If a person had money to burn, this would make an unusual platform for a modern day hot rod. Newer injected 360 or even a late model hemi for an engine with the corresponding transmission, deep gears, decent rims and tires, custom interior,etc….. At least it would be a whole lot more fun to drive as a opposed to restoring it to original condition. Thinking outside of the box here.
Why would anyone waste any time or money on this pile of crap?
With all of the Mopars from the 70s and 80s that were sent to the scrap heap by Hollywood in the 90s, it’s surprising to find one like this that escaped the crusher.
Despite that, it’s not worth saving. Only a hardcore police car buff would step up to the plate and drop the cash to convert it to a period correct police cruiser with the overhead lights, siren and all of the bells and whistles.
I think if it has good bones and not looking to recover financially, it might appeal to someone. Hey, look, I’d rather have a Chrysler M body than a run-of-mill, dime a dozen Chevelle SS. Ten times more solid. M body’s survived severe pounding on NYC streets
I want that corvair wagon in the background
Being a trucker in the 80’s, this car is stirring up some ghosts for me. Saw these in my rear view mirrors many times. From the police cars I’ve been in,,,oops, I mean ,,,come in contact with, this a little fancy for a cruiser. If it wasn’t for that extra dome light, I’d say it was not a cop car. Cop cars didn’t have rear door window cranks or door handles, and surely not cloth seats. These were good cars, LEO’s never used junk, but today, not worth much. It’s shredder time for the old cop car.
Out here in California, “cop cars” aren’t always used for cops. OES, DOJ, District Attorneys’ offices, etc. have used P71 Vics, 9C1/9C3 Impalas, Caprice PPVs, (Taurus) Police Interceptor Sedans and their kind for years. They were purchased through state contracts and generally painted “retail” colors.
I doubt that this car was used for patrol duty. We don’t even know what is under the hood, it could be a slant six.
I have to agree, cloth seats and carpets give that away, even ” detective” or ” supervisor” cars were basic cop cars . I don’t believe the slotted wheels are original to the car somebody before him may have ” customized” a Gran Fury to a faux cop car or maybe he’s done it himself, he claims in his ad that he is not a salvage yard, what he has is junk.. must be the township he lives in told him to clean up or be fined
These are decent Demo derby cars,but
no one can afford a thousand dollars,
to spend 10 minutes out there for a
$500 prize,if they were lucky!Give it to
a young single mother,or to a benefit
for someone, make a good $5.00 per sledge hit
charity fundraiser!
Ah,, inflation. It used to be a buck a whack.
The Ebay listing is missing the most important picture, which is the speedometer.
Actually this car looks straight other than the paint.
A little body work and a cheap paint job would make this car into a sellable item.
If its an old police car, where’s the standard spotlight?
Looking at the gran fury emblem being put on with screws like that.i cant remember that good but i thought it was nuts on the back,and if it was then why are there screws was the fender changed..anyway do a little fix up and great car for mom and kids or a teenagers first beater..
I wish I had a place to store and work on this Car. These had the longitudinal torsion bar suspension handled even better than regular torsion bars. I had a 1981 Dodge St.Regis ex. Florida highway patrol safety vehicle. I believe it mat have carried portable scales as leaf springs sagged. It had cloth seats, rubber floor mats. and rear seat belts were still tucked away when I bought it.
318 with 360 heads thermoquad carb. Paid $150 for it in 1989. GREAT CAR. One of the best I ever owned.
In my book this Car would be worth saving, but only worth about $150- 300 as is.
I own an 87 Gran Fury ex dectectives car from NYC’s Fort Apache on the Bronx. Deep blue like this one. This is still a bad ass Fury. This was the only cop car that when it pulled up behind you with the wig wag high beams it scared the living crap outta me. There is Nothing as official looking than the Gran Fury/Diplomat. Taurus’ are still wimpy looking to me. This one pictured is a ghost of its former self. Looking at it still gives me the jeepers.
The truth of the matter is that the twin-under-the-skin Dodge Diplomat was a more common sight during those years than the Plymouth variant. And the reference to The Blues Brothers comes from someone who apparently never saw the movie, as that too was a Dodge; a ’74 Monaco. I had one, an ex-sheriff’s vehicle, and while I enjoyed it a lot, the build quality was pretty abysmal. Add to that their crappy torsion bar suspension (something that makes me grind my teeth to this day), and I’m better off without the headache.
Wow, a lot of money that needs a lot of restoration. I will take my ’70 Plymouth Fury III ex-WSP car.
This is an excellent donor car for restomoding a vintage prewar car. The front subframe un bolts from the body and can be refitted into a pre war car. The sub frame has rad support, engine mounts, front suspension, steering, and trans mount all in one package. Easiest way to upgrade a prewar car going. Same goes for the rear axle and springs easily refitted into the back of a prewar car.if I bought this I’d strip it for the above discribed parts restore them then start looking for a 40’s or 50′ car to restomod / hotrod. Chrysler Corp of course.
Wow oh Wow I’d love to get my hands on the corvair wagon in the background..
This is more likely an ex-taxi than ex-police.