Re: [AMC-list] For Sale - Nice Looking 73 Ambassador 401 Nevada police car

["Eddie Stakes" <eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom, a number of the cop cars didn't have AC. More bare bones fleet vehicles. Can't see a Houston cop sitting in a no AC cop car today as it is 100 degrees outside with humidity so thick you can cut with knife. But I have owned 2 LAPD police cars, authentic ones, and neither had AC. 

Side note here! Down in Corpus Christi, there were a LOT of cars American Motors sold to the military down there: Corpus Christi Naval Air Station; Beeville Naval Air Station & Kingsville Naval Air Station....all of those bases within roughly 50-70 mile radius. The officers usually got Ambassador, Rebel & Matadors with air condition. The cars were painted a sand tan, or dark oilive green, although some were a saturn blue (69) color too. If not office, the 'regular folks' that is privates and anything less than office, got six banger stripped out cars. I mean 69 Ambassador or 70 Rebel, 232/AT, no radio, no AC, 'maybe' power steering, regular drum brakes, just as base as one can get. 

I can tell you that you probably had more control going around a curve at 30mph on a metal wheeled skateboard with your brother on your back than going around same curve at 30mph in a Matador 6 Navy car. 

Had a ton of chances to buy those after they were decommissioned down there, never did....I wished I had though, as most of them still in good shape, especially officers cars, but they usually went to gov auctions, then car lots. Ironically about 5 years ago I was down in CC visiting family and there was a old, retired, 76 Matador fleet vehicle from Texas' Mental Health & Mental Retardation unit (MHMR) white wagon, blue interior, 304/AT still had the lettering on side, the used car lot wanted $650 for it. 

Back to police cars....in I believe Car Craft in 1972, a 72 stock 401 Javelin ran a 14.7 1/4 mile and a stock 72 Matador 4 door police car ran a 14.8 1/4 mile. Not bad. The Los Aangeles Police department bought 500 or so 1972 fleet Matadors from AMC....*after* extensive testing other police cars including Ford, Chevrolet and Chryslers,,,they chose AMC because (LAPD quote) the Matadors outhandled and outperformed all the other cars. 

I'm not sure they would stand up to the rigors of modern LA police chases one sees on tv or youtube however, but each fleet vehicle in whatever county, precinct, has to be judged individually. Some were indeed used for state trooper highway business, while others ferried cops around city duty. I have a bag of NOS keys here from the Los Angeles Police Department also: GSD Fleet Serice, Los Angeles, California, 90012, Los Angeles City Hall Phone 485-5494.....all same cut, about 50 in the bag. Not worth anything except showing to AMCers I guess. 

Here in Houston in 1970-71 Houston Police used Gremlins for downtown parking detail for instance. No high speed stuff for the Gremmies. Of course we also use live horses downtown Houston in 2011 also. Most of the fleet cars (police ones) ended up rolling over in 1970s movies like Cannonball Run, Police Academy, Dukes of Hazzard and other stuff that needed a authentic looking 1970s cop car though. At the bottom of this older file on my site there are some AMC police car photos also:

http://www.planethoustonamx.com/Photo_Gallery_Nascar/index.htm

Eddie Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.planethoustonamx.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom McKenna 





  Road testing is about all they were good for - they spent about 3/4 of their time at the dealers - they were a very poor police car - would not stand up to the rigors of the trade at all.  The only reason the OPP ever got those for police cars was the fact that the Commissioner of the Day had one for his personal vehicle and thought it was a great car - and they might have been for that purpose - but they were an absolute loss as a police car unless you had just got it back from being repaired at the dealer and were going in straight line - they were very quick to 100 mph, but that's where it ended..  An additional somewhat humorous aside to that as well - all those cars came equipped from the factory with air conditioning - The OPP paid extra to have the air conditioning removed because they though that it was too ostentatious to have police officers driving around in air conditioned cars!!!!  How times have changed.


  Tom

  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Vernon Christy 


      
    The Ontario Provincial Police used to have some of those. Loved to Road Test them, when they would come in for Warranty service at the Dealership. 
    Great fun when you were following some of the locals on the road!

    Vernon Christy
    Motorsport 1320
    32 Lake St 
    Picton On K0K 2T0
    Cell: 613-827-1582







----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    To: baadassGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx
    From: eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

      
    There is a 73 401 Nevada Police car with 401 on ebay right now, I just actually bid on 
    darned thing!

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_rdcZ1QQitemZ260792611308QQru
    ZhttpQ3aQ2fQ2fshopQ2eebayQ2ecomQ3a80Q2fiQ2ehtmlQ3fQ5ffromQ3dR40Q26Q5ftrksidQ3
    dp5039Q2em570Q2el1313Q26Q5fnkwQ3d260792611308Q26Q5fsacatQ3dSeeQ2dAllQ2d
    CategoriesQ26Q5ffviQ3d1

    if lead breaks, look up item number 260792611308 it ends today, Sunday.

    On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 10:20 AM, Armand Eshleman <aje1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
    As I'm only 40 miles away from Milford, I called the guy and left a message. Yesterday he 
    returned the call. The car is indeed a 73 with a 360. I told him I was interested in the 
    car but couldn't come down there until next weekend to see it. Don't know what I'm going 
    to do with a 73 Ambo yet but one never knows. Really disappointed it didn't have the 
    venerable 401 in it. Then it would have made a great tow vehicle for the white Javelin or 
    the green Javelin when made into a track car. yeah right, dream some more. I guess I could 
    swap the 360 into the white Javelin and put that car's engine into the Ambo. Give the 
    Javelin a little more power.Armand

    http://siouxcity.craigslist.org/cto/2411057051.html

    '78 AMC Ambassador - $500 (Milford, Iowa)

    Eddie Stakes
    713.464.8825
    eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    www.planethoustonamx.com
    __._,_.





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