This giant, hardbound reference features the finest cars built for United States law enforcement agencies, from the 1930s to the 1990s. Arranged in chronological order, the encyclopedic collection of archival photography is complemented by a concise text revealing the evolution of the police car, including standard equipment, special options, and model histories.
With high-horsepower engines, quick shifting, bullet-proof transmissions, high-performance suspensions, and heavy-duty components, these extraordinary cars are something to behold -- as Elwood Blues noted in The Blues Brothers, "Cop engine, cop shocks, cop radio."
The book is well-researched and very informative.
It starts at the dawn of the twentieth century when what we know today as "police cars" were in thier infancy. Its pretty comical to see how a Model T could be modified as a police vehicle!
From there, we move into the 1920s and 30s when Ford developed the first standard "police package" vehicles - specially engineered cars that could handle the rough-and-tumble aspects of police work.
This book chronicles the development of police cars until the end of the 1990s. The reader sees what makes, models, and upgrades (not to mention drawbacks) were prevalant in each decade. The rise and fall of the Chrysler squads, the terribly underpowered cruisers of the early 80's, the high-octane Camaros of the Highway Patrol, and the beloved Chevy Caprice (the most popular police package in history) are all covered in this book.
Black and white photos.
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