Most 70s and 80s TV police dramas focused on guys who didn’t drive a run-of-the-mill police car.
There were exceptions like ‘Adam 12’, but TV cops typically were plainclothes detectives and they drove unmarked cars.
Despite that, every major crime scene was surrounded by marked police cars so here are ten examples of cars that were primarily props for a TV show.
Jerry Sutherland
‘Dragnet’ was one of the original TV cop shows (1951-59), but it was rebooted in 1967 so Sgt. Joe Friday could hit the LA streets again.
Joe drove an unmarked 1967 Ford Fairlane four-door sedan with his partner Bill Gannon, but they often worked with uniform guys who drove cars like a 1967 Ford Custom.
‘McCloud’ debuted in 1970 and it was a fish-out-of-water plot because Taos, New Mexico Deputy Sam McCloud worked for the NYPD, and he did ride a horse.
His NYPD brethren had more conventional transportation in the form of a 1966 Chevy sedan.
‘The Streets of San Francisco’ debuted in ’72 and it featured Lt. Mike Stone and his youngish partner Inspector Steve Keller patrolling the mean streets.
They drove large Ford four-door sedans as detectives, but the frontline guys showed up in equally large, marked cars like a 1972 Ford Custom.
Theo Kojak was a flashy NYPD detective who drove a 1973 Buick Century that was a cut above the average unmarked police car in the TV series ‘Kojak’.
The show debuted in late 1973, but a 1968 Ford in old NYPD colors made the cut as a prop in Kojak—probably a studio car, but a 5-year-old police car wasn’t unlikely in the real NYPD back in the early 70s.
‘Police Woman’ went on duty in 1974 and it featured Pepper Martin as an undercover cop for the LAPD.
Pepper typically rode in unmarked, newer Ford sedans, but the LAPD foot soldiers rode in beaters like a 1971 Ford. That’s how it works in TV land.
‘Baretta’ hit the airwaves in early 1975–he was an undercover detective in an unnamed city that looked a lot like New York.
Tony Barretta drove a beat-up 1966 Impala called the ‘Blue Ghost’ but the uniformed guys in the show drove cars like a 1975 Chevy Bel Air. That twist broke the tradition of detectives driving better cars than the frontline guys.
‘The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo’ debuted in 1979 and it was spun off from ‘BJ and The Bear ‘–it featured Sheriff Lobo and his dimwitted sidekick Deputy Perkins.
Sheriff Lobo was corrupt and a little on the dumb side, but he drove a marked 1976 Cadillac Seville police car. He travelled in style.
‘TJ Hooker’ went on the air in 1982 and it featured Captain Kirk behind the wheel of an LAPD police car.
Hooker started out driving a ’77 Dodge Monaco but closed the series driving a ’79 Dodge St. Regis. His car wasn’t as flashy as the USS Enterprise, but the overhead was a lot less.
‘Crime Story’ debuted in 1986 and it featured some incredible 50s iron.
The detectives in the show drove spectacular cars, but the marked police cars in the show held their own–including a 1960 Ford.
’21 Jump Street’ is the 11th and last example of frontline TV police cars.
The show was on the schedule in 1987, and it featured three youthful undercover police officers. The marked police vehicles in the show were cars like a 1983 Malibu—realistic, functional co-stars.
Most of these shows had recognizable stars, but the car stars are less so. That’s how to goes when you’re a bit player in Hollywood.
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.
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
