Police Car: Ford Fairlane
Back in the 50s, people cared about their savings. The fiscal situation was grime and the police departments across the country wanted to cut the costs while purchasing police cars. It was then that the world-renowned motor company Ford Motors came up with the Ford Fairlane - a compact car extensively utilized during those times as a police car. The department was pleased with this offering from Ford because they could not expend additional resources to procure the pricier Chevy Bel Air police car. The following passages will offer a brief insight of the vehicle.
Although the company released various flavors of Ford Fairlane, the police department was impressed only with the 4-door sedan. The car came with a 4.5L engine and the included eight cylinders (V8) had already captured the attention of the auto enthusiasts. From the consumer's viewpoint, the company came up with an affordable solution to combat the stiff competition imparted by the Pontiac Tempest GTO. The engineers located in the company used to spend countless hours fine-tuning the existing design and hence, could even offer a 5.1L engine to the police department for a fraction of the cost. Needless to state, but the force was thoroughly impressed with this gesture and ordered many more for the remaining years.
Although most of the Ford Fairlane models came with plastic or metal retractable hardtops, the vehicles utilized by the police did not feature any such amenities. The engine could deliver peak power outputs, and it seems that the department was concerned on those aspects only. However, a major addition was the quad headlights and rear lights. This innovation was first realized on the police cars and suitable alterations were found in the cars released after them. These vehicles (employed by the police) featured manual transmission systems only.
The auto manufacturer continued to release augmented versions throughout the succeeding years until 1971. Of the 10000 cars manufactured by the company, a substantial amount was meant exclusively for the American law enforcement officers. People seemed to like the styling of the car and the car was available for a figure less than $2500 - a special price for the department due to the bulk orders given. The running costs were sufficiently low and the sturdiness of the vehicle is still counted as a legend not to mention the solid B-pillar, which attributed a unique appearance to the Ford Fairlane.
One can never mistake the anodized side panels included with the Ford Fairlane. Ford Motors included two flashers with the car - one was placed at the usual location at the rooftop and the other was mounted on the right side of the bonnet. The slightly elevated ground clearance and the not-so-bumpy rides were the other qualities, which one could find in the Fairlanes used by the department. The chrome plated front and rear bumpers and the matching front grille helped the motor enthusiasts to classify the model in a hierarchy that is still unmatched by the other police cars released at those times.