In the 1970s, Dodge and Plymouth were popular vehicle choices for law enforcement. Much of that can be attributed to the high-performance engines available early in the decade. This 1971 Dodge Polara may have once been a public servant, but there’s no proof that it was an actual California Highway Patrol (CHiPs) car back in its heyday, though it looks the part today. Largely once restored, this Dodge is lightly used now, perhaps at car shows, and is available here on craigslist for $29,850. The Mopar currently calls South Park, Pennsylvania, home, and hats off to Mitchell G. for another great tip!
The 4th generation of the Dodge Polara (1969 to 1973) was akin to the Chevrolet Bel Air and Impala in terms of competition. The higher-end Monaco was more along the lines of the Caprice. But austere versions of the Polara were often fleet-purchased for use as police cars, usually equipped with 375 hp (in 1970) 440 cubic inch V8s. The VIN on the seller’s car indicates it was produced with a 383 using a 2-barrel carburetor, making it less likely for Smokey and The Bandit-style “high pursuits” (quoting Sheriff Buford T. Justice).
Both the seller and the car’s prior owner possessed this vehicle for many years, and it came to them pretty much how you see it today, though the black and white paint has been refreshed. The odometer reads 53,000 miles, which would be low for a real CHiPS cruiser unless it’s already gone around once. The graphics on the Dodge are said to be period correct.
However this tribute came to be, it’s in excellent condition now and is said to run quite well. From what we can tell, the police additions inside the car are correct, and the rifle doesn’t work (or so the seller thinks). The Dodge has an aftermarket sound system, but it’s hidden out of sight. Some of the engine parts have been upgraded to modern specs, but the original pieces have been retained should you want them. This automobile should draw plenty of attention at Cars & Coffee, but doing so won’t come cheaply. Hopefully, your local authorities won’t have issues with the appearance of this patroller.
Having a shotgun racked on the front floor gives new meaning to the term, “fully loaded.”
Cool car.
Awesome Mike. It may impede vision a bit lol…. if I had to bet, it looks like a Remington 870.
Needs bigger push bars!!!
I love it and the white steering wheel was highway patrol issue so it didn’t get hot
We Are On A Mission From God.
The day I get out of prison, my brother picks me up in an old police car. It’s got cop motor( theirs a 440), cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks, and runs on regular gas. Fix the lighter,,,
License and registration Sir!… Impersonating a police officer.
If this is a tribute…. They did an amazing job. A lot of work went into it to make it look authentic. I like those whip antennas too.
I saw these when they were in CHP service,but I
don’t recall ever seeing one with a PA license plate.
That just doesn’t look right,& I’d think that the seller
would have a set of Black CA exempt plates for show.
Cool car.
I’d rather this was made to look like the Polara in Dirty Mary Crazy Larry – b4 it was hit by a falling telephone pole!
“Driver’s no slouch / I’m going to powder his nose / Sink him! / My top end is unlimited”
Man, I hated seeing these in the rear view mirror. If I recall correctly, it is missing the light bar.
California Highway Patrol did not start experimenting with light bars on the roof until 1973…and, even then, very few cars were equipped with them.
So is the Polara in the above movie. “What’s he got under the hood?”.
A tribute Charger from DMCL would be cool too.
100%! Having learned to drive in California, I quickly learned that there is no more sinking feeling than seeing a CHP black & white pulling up rapidly on your rear bumper… They all had light bars after I got my license in ’76. But the size alone was intimidating enough to remind you to slow down.
Are these ‘tribute’ cars legal in California?
They are legal if you cover up anything that says Police, Sheriff, CHP and any front facing forward Red/Blue lights and also includes any (E) exempt license plates. This is what I did when I had my 71 original CHP Polara way back.
You could drive these vehicles in Calif. if you did the following. Current registration/insurance with present day license plates, anything saying Police, Sheriff, CHP etc; must be covered. Any front facing Red/Blue emergency lights must be covered. I had a restored original 71 CHP Polara back in the day and this is what I had to do to my street driven vehicle.
Since we have “Blues Brothers ” comments, here I go. I used to live in a small town in Illinois that was on a lake. (The lake was 1 mile in diameter) We heard that they were going to be shooting some of a movie in and around our town. One morning going to work I made a mental note of a “smokie” on the CB close to where I was going to be traveling. I drove underneath the overpass to get on the highway. And there parked inside the cloverleaf was at least 50 Illinois State Police cars! I was so surprised I almost crashed my van. For several weeks in the morning I would be headed south and on the north side would be the blues mobile sitting on the side of the road waiting for traffic to clear so that they could start shooting. It got to be a regular thing, I would flash my lights and they would flash their lights back. After they were no longer around I missed the morning “electronic wave”! The movie opened in our little town and not in Chicago, New York or Hollywood.
Fun times and fun movie.
👍 too cool 😎 🎸 Wayne.
I’d say your town earned that @Wayne ! What a great story…
Still my favorite movie of all time, and my IMHO the greatest car chase scene ever made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VFIPCpocLk
Hi Wayne, 60 ex-state patrol cars were used in the chase scene and 13 different cars used for the Bluesmobile. I grew up in Milwaukee, and the scene where Henry Gibson is dropped in the Pinto wagon, was filmed on Milwaukees then unfinished freeway. The state patrol cars weren’t all from Illinois, I believe, and I read, the production company had a 24 hour repair shop in Chicago, painting and repairing the crashed ones.
I believe it. There may have been 25-30 Illinois state police cars. It seemed like more in my half awake morning stupor. I lived 3 blocks east of where the cars were flying off the highway and where the patrol car flew into the side of the truck. And 1 block west of where the blues mobile was driving on the beach. Several of the towns people were extras in the movie. So watching it bring back many memories since I now live 2000 miles to the west. They used up a bunch of Chicago patrol units too!
Leslie Martin, Our town being on a lake had resorts and beaches to accommodate Chicago residents looking to escape the city heat and crowded Lake Michigan beaches. (Normal town population about 3,500. Summer time weekend population a out 35,000) Belushi and Akoroyds parents were those families that came to our town. The town’s name is Wauconda and in the Ghostbusters movie they mention Camp Wauconda. (But there really isn’t a camp Waucunda.)