By Rob Sass / Originally Published February 28, 2014 / Hagerty The cop show genre goes back to the pre-TV days of radio (where you…{"id":4963,"date":"2014-03-13T11:02:59","date_gmt":"2014-03-13T18:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=4963"},"modified":"2014-04-30T10:23:01","modified_gmt":"2014-04-30T17:23:01","slug":"six-of-the-best-tv-cop-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/13\/six-of-the-best-tv-cop-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"Six of the Best TV Cop Cars"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rob Sass \/ Originally Published February 28, 2014 \/ Hagerty<\/em><\/p>\n

The cop show genre goes back to the pre-TV days of radio (where you had to imagine what black and white your favorite cop was driving).\u00a0 Here are some of our favorite full-size, rear-wheel-drive American cop cars from 60 years of the best cop shows:<\/p>\n

1. \u201cAdam 12\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(1972 AMC Matador): Although it was shot in the 1970s, in many ways, \u201cAdam 12\u201d was a throwback to 1950s cop shows in which gangs, heroin dealers and street snitches didn\u2019t exist and officers Reed and Malloy played by Kent McCord and Martin Milner rarely drew their guns, let alone actually capped anyone. In seasons five through seven, they drove an AMC Matador. In actuality, the LAPD was always a strong supporter of underdog American Motors; they owned more than 500 Matador black and whites at one time.<\/p>\n

2. \u201cTJ Hooker\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(1979 Dodge St. Regis): The post-\u201c\u2018Star Trek\u2019 the TV series\u201d and pre-\u201c\u2018Star Trek\u2019 the Motion Picture\u201d years saw William Shatner in a relatively forgettable cop show that starred perhaps the least believable cop of all time, Heather Locklear. For much of the show\u2019s run, Shatner drove an equally forgettable Malaise-Era Mopar full-size sedan, the Dodge St.\u00a0 Regis. It\u2019s fascinating to see them on the show because few people can remember the last time they saw one on the road \u2014 they\u2019re nearly extinct.<\/p>\n

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3. \u201cHill Street Blues\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(1976 Dodge Monaco): The opening title sequence of \u201cHill Street Blues\u201d with a memorable Mike Post theme song and a gritty look featured several fishtailing Dodge Monacos hightailing it out of the precinct. The Monaco in police surplus trim also served as The Bluesmobile in the film \u201cThe Blues Brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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4. \u201cSouthland\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(1999 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor): No list of great cop cars would be complete without the classic Ford Crown Vic. The last full-size rear-wheel-drive Ford was produced from 1992-2011. It was the most widely used police car and taxi in the U.S. and Canada, and although they\u2019re starting to give way to the Dodge Charger, they still show up in the rearview mirrors of speeders everywhere.<\/p>\n

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5. \u201cThe Andy Griffith Show\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(1963 Ford Galaxie<\/a>): The Mayberry Police Department was fond of Fords. We\u2019re partial to the \u201963 300 Galaxie with the classic gumball-machine light on the roof. Over the years, fans of the show have built hundreds of loving replicas of Sheriff Andy\u2019s cruiser.<\/p>\n

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6. \u201cHighway Patrol\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(1956 Buick Special<\/a>): Perhaps the granddaddy of all TV cop shows, rough-hewn Broderick Crawford drove a huge assortment of Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Dodges through the 1955-59 run of the show. We particularly like the \u201956 Buick Special.<\/p>\n

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