All Photos Taken in 1965
There are some things worthy of note in the photos...
1) Note the 2 color dome on the Beacon Ray light -
this was common ! on most police cruisers until the
late '60's or early '70's.
2) Note the registration plate. I think the plates
were good for 2 years back then, and they were made
of
steel, so that it was a real chore to change the
plates, because of the rust on both the plates and,
the nuts and bolts that attached them. when they
expired.
3) Note the low band whip antenna was the ONLY antenna
on the cruiser, as they only had 1 radio, and no
stereo, not even an AM radio !!
4) Note that this was the last year for the "STATE
POLICE" lettering on the hood. Starting with the '66
models, the "STATE POLICE" lettering was relocated
to
the front fenders, which made the cruisers much easier
to spot for the lead foot drivers, like me, back in
the day. Also, no roof numbers, yet.
5) The small emblem on the lower fender near the front
door was a Thunderbird emblem with the "390 flag",
which indicated that these cars were equipped with
! a
390 c.i./ 330 HP Interceptor engine. This was also
the
last ! year the cruisers came equipped with the three
speed, column mounted manual shift lever ( "3 on the
tree" ) which was the only transmission available with
the 390 Intercepter engine. These trannies were
specially geared so that in a pursuit, you could shift
from first to second gear at around 55 - 60 mph, and
shift from second to third ( high ) gear at about 85
-
90 mph. Remember, this was the era before anti -
pollution equipment ws even thought about!
6) None of the MSP cruisers in this era had either
air
conditioning or power steering. The rear window
defroster was a blower instead of electric.
7) Note the driver's door mirror. This was a Ford
design option that dated back to the '40's, as door
mirrors had not been required by the Federal
government at this time, yet.
8) The only warning lights other than the Beacon Ray,
were the four way hazard flashers, which were a
special option that were not required on civilian
vehicles until 1966. Wig - w! ags had not been
invented yet, just high beam headlights, day or night.
This was also the last year that MSP used the old
under hood electric "wind up" sirens. The electronic
siren/ pa systems were ordered beginning with the '66
models.
9) Note the station wagons - some were still being
ordered until '91 or '92 ( Chevy ).
10) Not shown - I remember seeing a small number of
'65 Dodge Coronet 2 door Blue Birds with, I think,
383c.i. engines. One of the Dodge dealers must have
been awarded part of the bid that year. This was also
the ere prior to the take home cruisers, so that the
vehicles were traded just about every year or two,
at
the most. It was common to see the odometers with
under 60,000 miles back then, when it came time to
trade ( also, before the auctions came into being).
11) Note the backup lights - these were an extra cost
option until 1966, when the Federal government made
them a requirement.
