Older readers will definitely remember the classic TV series ‘Adam 12’.
Those of you who don’t remember the show would still like this classic old 1969 Plymouth Belvedere police car because it’s such a unique car to see in person.
Jerry Sutherland
‘Adam 12’ was a TV series that ran from 1968 to 1975 and it featured Martin Milner as Pete Malloy and Kent McCord as Jim Reed. They were LAPD officers, and they did everything from rescuing cats to stopping armed robbers in the course of a work day.
It was a very popular series so there are ‘Adam 12’ tribute cars scattered throughout the world. Jeff Nicholson is the proud owner of this 1969 Plymouth Belvedere ‘Adam 12’ police car.
Unlike many tribute police cars, this one saw real duty with LAPD as a detective car. It didn’t come with the heavy-duty police suspension and electrical components and there was a 318 under the hood instead of a big block, but it is a very detailed tribute to the ‘Adam 12’ car.
Everything is correct down to the clipboard and the radio and the T-2 ‘Mickey Mouse Ears’ emergency tin can lights. These are incredibly hard to find because they were specific to the LAPD, but this car has them—thanks to a long and patient search by the previous owner.
This Plymouth was a long-term project because some of the parts and props from the show were difficult to source. The date-correct E-plate (city-owned vehicles) from 1969 is a great example. The easy part was the body because this old Plymouth was an LA car, then it went to Texas so there were no rust repairs to slow the project down.
The only change Jeff made was to upgrade the engine to a big block. He said every guy who knew the show pointed to the 318 small block and told him he had to put a 383 under the hood. Jeff took this seriously, so he found a date-correct 383 2-barrel from a low-mileage donor ’69 Chrysler. He admitted the upgrade really woke the car up but he is looking at a custom dual exhaust setup.
This is a 56-year-old car, so it doesn’t handle like a new Acura, but Jeff is very comfortable behind the wheel. He said, “It’s very solid on the road—it just floats”.
Jeff is a big fan of the show, so he doesn’t mind the Hollywood treatment he gets when he takes the old Plymouth for a run. He said most of the people who recognize the car remember it from the TV series, while most people see it as a cool old cop car. Jeff said, “One old guy thought it was the Bluesmobile from the Blues Brothers”.
Jeff said he doesn’t get much negative attention from the police because this car has red-amber lights instead of red-blue. He has talked to younger police officers who don’t know the show but are curious about the old police equipment on the Plymouth. Jeff said everything works– from the siren to the PA system.
Life with a Hollywood star can be a problem—that’s not the case with this Adam 12 police car star.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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