tomsheehy

I had 3 at one time back a few years ago. All are now in hands of new owners, but I am working on another that should be done in a couple of months... Oh yeah, they were all police cars that I restored. 76 Plymouth Gran Fury... 66 Plymouth Fury I 73 Dodge Polara

Tom, fantastic job. I've been meaning to build this exact car for some time. My Dad had one, almost exactly like this with the six...same color but black interior. Great job...thanks for sharing and passing on your tips! Tom Sheehy

The beacon used by the Mass SP in 1957 was a Federal model 17, blue to the front and red to the rear. It was a split dome. Research this page and it show a 1965 Ford with this configuration. The 1957 was the same way...go about half way down the page to see the description... http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeopzls/policecars/id11.html

You are correct Steve, the correct period Motorola would be the Twin-V. The name referred to the fact that it could run on 6 or 12 volt. The predessor, the Research Line, was also still in service during this time period. The Motorola T-Power (also a 'twin power') came out around 1958 or 9. It began the transition to solid state components. The Motrac/Motran line came out around 1960-1, and were the first full solid state radios made by Motorola. There is a terrific website that has a ton of 2 way radio history, including info on the above: http://www.wb6nvh.com/Moto42/M42Page2.htm The above link is to the Motorolas referenced above. Go to the main page for all the other stuff. Other than Motorola, GE and RCA were also big around this time. The GE Progress Line and RCA Carfone would be time correct for the 57s.

The Napa, CA car above is a beautiful car, and accurate, too. It was restored and owned by a Napa officer. It is the Custom 300 trim level and is a 4 door, but that was correct for this agency. Also has the correct spotlights. A couple more... NYPD...

The 57 Custom 2 door was widely used by many state police agencies across the country, as well as some major cities, including NYC. During the 50s, most state agencies actually did use the 2 door sedan for most duties. Dave, I have an extensive collection of accurate police historical information regarding this time period; as to who used the 57, accurate markings for that time and equipment. I'd be happy to devote some time to insure this replica is authentic. If Revell took the extra step to find the radio and gumball light, that's a good thing. Let's hope they don't stop there, there are many options for the cop car goodies, even back then. EDIT: Just did a quick count...At least 25 states used the 57 Custom in the 2 door version for State Police/Highway Patrol duties, and a few more used the 4 door version. At least 8 to 10 of them have the decals readily available from the aftermarket or other kits. Another 6 to 8 have been done but are OOP and hard to come by. Virginia SP: