However, no factory 360 M-body cop cars were ever produced. All repairs are documented. I only got to ride in one of these once, in the mid-1980s when I was in graduate school. Sweet looking car. They are supposed to be down in the bumpers? The rest of the fleet split the difference. Print length 192 pages Language English Publisher Motorbooks Intl Publication date January 1, 1996 Dimensions 8.5 x 0.5 x 10.75 inches ISBN-10 0760301972 ISBN-13 978-0760301975 See all details The Amazon Book Review The Chevrolet Celebrity was a mid-sized front-wheel drive sedan employed by police forces from 1982, and the biggest engines hadsix cylinders. In The 60s and 70s you even saw the odd Pontiac or Meteor. A second oil crisis hit in 1979, and while Chrysler's new front-drive Omnirizons sold strongly, the company was sinking around them. For that matter, both the Chevy and Ford both got more development money than the Dodge and got it sooner. (The siren and light bar have been disconnected per EBay policy.) Those St. Regis also wore out tires because they would not hold alignment (drastic negative camber), and three of them blew out their heater cores. Dodge Durango Pursuit (Police) 2021. . Check with your state to see how replica police cars can be operated on roadways. The higher rate springs and high effort power steering made for a pleasant driver. The Gran Fury was purpose-designed as a cheaper version of the Chrysler Newport and was aimed at taxi, police and other fleet operators, with police cars utilising the 5.2-litre and 5.9-litre V8s. Still a 360, but it couldn't handle the big tires and beating, and, being lighter, you felt every bump around. The popular Dodge Diplomat was based on Chryslers mid-size M-body platform from 1977. After the September 11, 2001 attacks the CHP became responsible for securing and patrolling a number of potential terrorist targets in California. The Car have 3 Different Lightbars, all working Gamefeatures and other small working Parts. Even the grille pattern looks more Buick than Dodge. on average and handled pretty well. My mechanical skills at the time were far from what they are now so the issue was never solved and the car remained in my possession for a couple more years. I experienced all three years of the R bodies, with a 1979 Newport, 1980 Gran Fury, and 1981 Gran Fury, two with the 360 pursuit and one with the 318 four barrel.  Powered by a 318-cubic inch V8, that car was so slow that the agency feared it stood no chance of keeping up with the old muscle cars still on the highways. We live in South Carolina, so rust is not really an issue. Hyundai RN22e concept (IONIQ 6 N, Video: Fernando Alonso thrashes Aston Martin DBX707 SUV, Top 10 best sports cars coming to Australia in 2023-2024. . The carpet was removed and a heavy duty rubber floor was installed, he headliner was replaced, he sun visors recovered and the seats were reupholstered in a cloth that was nearly identical to that used in the police cars. The car starts up and runs nicely. 1979 Dodge St.Regis (Brochure). Competing against the downsized General Motors B-body chassis and the all-new Ford Panther chassis, the R-body is the longest-wheelbase of the three. I thought they looked great, and kind of reminded me of certain TV shows set in the US Southwest, where this color of patrol car was often seen. Naming was equally odd: the Plymouth Gran Fury name was taken from that brands largest car, while the Chrysler Newport was based on that brands (former) smallest car and the Dodge St. Regis name was new. For mountain and bad weather areas of the state, the CHP has used vehicles such as Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Bronco, Dodge Ramcharger, Chevrolet Blazer, and AMC Eagle. Being in my 20th year of St. Regis ownership, after my dad owning first for 10 years, I dont think the St. Regis was the worst looking of the 70s cars or that it was designed to fall apart. Dodge Coronet Police Vehicle (1959) Dodge Coronet Police Vehicle The Coronet was a full-size car from Dodge from the 1950s. New Tri-Five Chevy Parts: Bolt-In Underdash Hydraulic Clutch System From American Powertrain, Not Stock Photographys John Jackson Takes Us On A Lone Star Throwdown Adventure, B&MS PRECISION SPORTSHIFTER WILL GIVE YOUR 2021-UP FORD BRONCOS 7-SPEED A SOLID SHIFTING FEEL, Lone Star Throwdown 2023: Is This The Baddest Truck Show Of The Year? Today's Rare Ride is for sale in Pennsylvania.   I purchased the car in 2004, ith 58,194 original miles, rom the son of the elderly woman who originally purchased the car in Northern California. As Chrysler needed to expedite a downsized replacement for the 1974-1977 C-body to market (in response to the 1973 oil crisis), the R-body was developed from existing underpinnings at minimal costs. The dash pad is crack-free. Following its introduction, the Dodge St. Regis saw heavy use as a police car in the United States. 1979 Dodge Diplomat Station Wagon - Million Mile Dodge / The Green Machine. Even AMC, the perpetual fourth-place finisher, bowed out at the end of 1978 with no real replacement in sight. And Im sure thats the last time I ever saw one. The Dodge St. Regis is a very rare car. The only St. Regis I can ever recall seeing was this one I took a picture of about 5 years ago. I was thinking the same thing, jerseyfred  like the universal power window kits you saw in JC Whitney catalogs from the 80s. Police cars, unlike civilian ones, had the Lean Burn computer behind the glove box at first, then above the parking foot-brake. The car would go both fast and handle. I never saw this until just now. Dodge St. Regis (1979-1981) Dodge Stealth (1991-1996) Dodge Stratus 1gen (1995-2000) . I swear, I do not think that Audi was out of the shop more than six weeks for the five years he owned it and, once out of warranty, it seemed each repair bill was at least $1000. It appears to be in very good condition for an R-body. 1979 brought the CHP multiple vehicle test. This just looks like the car company ran out of good ideas and let the car get junky. I bet that car is rare with leather interior. In California, the St. Regis was fitted with a 190 hp four-bbl 360 V8. 1979 Dodge St. Regis Michigan State Police Find this Pin and more on police by dan gordon.  Handling Ranked 2002 Ford Focus ZX3 better. 1978 Dodge LRT Express. Produced for a single generation, the St. Regis is one of the shortest-lived Dodge nameplates. I have a Pioneer in it now because it has a USB port and Im running almost all my music off a thumb drive now. It has been in California all its life and is rust free.   The drivers power seat looks different than my standard non power seat. Replacing the Monaco, the St. Regis was the largest Dodge sedan, positioned above the mid-size Diplomat and Aspen. My original seats are in storage while Im actually driving around in bucket seats salvaged from a 1985 Dodge Omni that had low back buckets with adjustable headrests. Why? I hope the featured car goes to a good home. Your email address will not be published. While shifting to an intermediate chassis allowed the St. Regis a smaller exterior footprint over the 1974-1977 Monaco, it remained far larger than its Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice competitors (at 220.2 inches long, an inch shorter than a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham). If GM marketing had their way, using Pontiac in comparison, there was a Catalina, Bonneville, Bonneville Brougham, all sharing the same basic body and dashboard. It was a strong rival to Chrysler and Ford models thanks to its then-new aerodynamic design, weight efficiency and resulting good fuel economy. Most of those wound up being wrecked on TV shows and movies. Always wanted to be a rally expert but never had the right car for the job? If you have something to share let us know. These sites include nuclear power plants, government buildings, and key infrastructure sites. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Runway Classic Video: The Mighty Convair 880 Takes Off Again, http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/12/chrysler-bank-on-it/, http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/R-bodies.html. Pursuit Police Vehicle (2012-2014) Cars belonging to Dodge Charger 7th-gen. It was probably easier to do this in my car because it was originally a single speaker AM radio and I ran the speaker wiring from the back and put in some front speakers in the factory holes and hooked everything up to the later harness. So they always occupied a small space in my automotive memory banks. Historic Drag Video: Ultra-Rare Footage Of Art Arfons Green Monster And The Dud Jet Dragster, Great Read: The Man Who Would Be Greyhound: A 1986 Sports Illustrated Profile Of Big Daddy Don Garlits. Something that drives everyday. Police Cars . It has neither. The R-body replaced both the C-body and old B-body cars, killing two birds with one stone; unfortunately, Chrysler's dire financial situation turned worse, leading to Chrysler filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and chairman Ricardo resigning in February 1979 (he would be replaced by Lee Iaccoca, who was recently let go by Ford; Iaccoca would later  All the St. Regis and the Volares were replaced with Dodge Diplomats in 1982. I remember Dabney Coleman driving one in the hilarious car chase in the movie Short Time, and wondering just how that thing held together. The current bid is just over half that amount and this car is located in equally-beautiful Boise, Idaho. The main problem with the LeBaron for us was that it just would not run right. One of very few Mopars that I have had zero contact with. It would be the last rear-wheel drive model made by Chrysler until the Plymouth Prowler from 1997. I always suspected that might have been a feature rather than a bug. In the winter of 1993, I was hunting for a replacement for my ruined 67 Sport Fury and looked at a couple of Magnums, both with actual leather.  The idle needs to be re-adjusted (Ill do that myself more than likely, before its purchased) and the suspension bar that holds up the rear trunk needs to be replaced. Wow only am fm and no cassette no 8 track player and one station working. The Celebrity replaced the Malibu mentioned above and presented more efficient packaging with better interior space and fuel economy, a configuration which was becoming more and more popular with private customers rather than traditional large rear-wheel drive models. This is a 1979 Dodge St. Regis. Curtis Redgap: The R bodies weren't that bad! This gorgeous full-sized survivor is listed on eBay with an almost laughably-low buy it now price of $4,250! Original owners manual and all 1979 Chrysler emissions documentation, and repair slips. 1979 Dodge Ram Charger. Plastic over part of the chrome bumpers, body panels that do not line up right, rust on the body, wrinkles in the vinyl top, missing trim, broken interior door handles, the door panels and dash look very cheaply made, things dont line up, the dash design looks like a patchwork off pieces from different jigsaw puzzles. The leather wouldnt have held up that well. The wipers need a near impossible to find nylon bushing, a c compressor clutch is bad. There are only handful of St Regis around, and fewer of them is in heavily salted Michigan. Cars used by California Highway Patrol 1929 to present. I don't know if it runs or not, it looks all complete, has the . One of the more rare Chrysler cars to this day, as they were mostly used for cop cars back in the early 80s and most all of them were crushed. A gorgeous 1979 Illinois State Police Dodge St. Regis I made from Taigo's car on NFS Addons. The 225 Slant-6 inline-6 was now the standard engine with optional 318 and 360 V8s; a three-speed automatic was paired to all three engines. 1968 Dodge Monaco. Once you did manage to get it started, it would stall and stall. 1:43 Car 1980-1999 USA. 3) Horsepower/Torque Curve characteristic dimensions: outside length: 5593 mm / 220.2 in, width: 1958 mm / 77.1 in, wheelbase: 3010 mm / 118.5 in Your email address will not be published. I made an error, but hey. I was about to take issue with your comment then remembered the low idle vibration my 1975, Custom 500 had. Takes all kinds, I guess. The Ultimate Unloved: 1980 Dodge St. Regis Police Cruiser. For 1980, the 360 was replaced by a 155 hp 318 V8 4-bbl with California emissions to comply with state emissions regulations.  The Dodge St. Regis is an automobile that was marketed by Dodge from the 1979 to 1981 model years. The Dodge St. Regis introduced in 1979 was a re-skinned dinosaur based on the old large Chrysler B-body platform which underpinned the classic 1960s Dodge Charger muscle car. It would be the last full-size Plymouth model ever built. Needs a L F manual window regulator; and the headliner re glued.  Hes not real clear on the just what the problem is. The risks you take when buying a used fleet vehicle. Sometimes it would fire up again again sitting, sometimes not. 1979 Dodge Mangum XE. Man! 1979 DODGE St.Regis Vintage Original 2 page Print AD White car photo Music USA Opens in a new window or tab. Dodge would not market a rear-wheel drive sedan until the 2006 Dodge Charger. I recall reading a quote from a Chrysler engineer once saying that the transverse torsion bar suspension was mandated for marketing reasons and there really was no way to model what it was doing in the computer or elsewhere.  There is a small piece of trim missing near the drivers door, unnoticed until close to car. Ugh, I cant stand that archaic looking climate control system and push button stereo Those buttons always stuck froze in very cold weather in my 77 Newport. Click below to find your next car. He pulled the engine to put in a 53 Willys and sold the car before he finished it.  My BIL had one of these,  an 80 model he bought in fall  of 1991. If these are civilian cars mocked up as CHP units, they could be any year off the lot, including 1979 models. Ours were disabled early in their sad lives. Summernats is MktoForms2.loadForm("//app-sn05.marketo.com", "979-LYJ-350", 1596); 707hp. I saw one up for sale on CL, I think, dont quote me, like last year, It was going for about $2500-3000, in good original condition I think it was that dove gray color, that they used in the original St. Regis ad, back in 1979 I remember, the ad slogan, Hey, thats my Dodge.. On Diplomat SE, the heavier steering improves the handling much, with smaller steering wheel. I think a horizontal bar grille, as Dodge was introducing at the time, would have been a nice touch.  Its engine is a naturally aspirated petrol, 5.9 litre, overhead valve 90 degree V 8 cylinder with 2 valves per cylinder. Said Lean Burn also failed repeatedly, leaving you stalled out without warning at random times. Towards this I have a Motorola radio, lights, federal pa 200 siren and speaker, sl-20 flashlight, radar, and other items to come. Good Gravy: Ride On This GSXR600 Hill Climb Bike Running 100% Nitromethane! 1979 Dodge St.Regis Maryland State Police Roof hardware: Federal Signal AeroDynic light bar D Dech Sayyasavee 103 followers More information 1979 Dodge St.Regis Maryland State Police | Roof hardware: F | Flickr Emergency Vehicles Police Vehicles Old Police Cars Sports Car Racing State Police Police Department Fire Trucks Plymouth Offered only as a four-door notchback sedan, the St. Regis was styled with frameless door glass (the rear quarter glass was fixed). Even so, the original unit in the St Regis has FM radio that I really hope for ( AM only in North Michigan doesnt return many channels ). We never had a noticeable increase in failed pursuits when we engaged with the 318.  The B-body platform was updated to replace the departed C-body cars. Even the Chrysler Newport had vinyl as an option with no leather available .I often think Chrysler downplayed these models as the more economical versions of their larger cars so people would opt for the New Yorker if they wanted more luxury. Im apt to think that he means that the analog dial is stuck & turning  the tuning knob has no effect. Ottawa :[Le droit],1913-jeudi 15 octobre 1981, Journaux, Ottawa :[Le droit],1913- The last photo is of the featured car (and me before I drove it to prom, sorry about that). Tool Review: Is This Hand Tool The Budget Solution For LARGE WIRE CRIMPING?  The Dodge St. Regis is a very rare car. 1979 Dodge Challenger (Brochure). My favorite kind of Craigslist car ad: by someone who knows what the heck hes writing about. Dodge St. Regis 1979, 4x6" (165mm) Rectangular Chrome LED Headlights with DRL by Lumen, 1 Pair. Both the Chevy Caprice and Ford LTD of the time looked a lot better. If you compare them to GM offerings, there was much more flexibility in the GM line in comparison. It always seemed to me that most full sized Chrysler products from the 70s besides the Imperials and New Yorkers were not usually heavily optioned, yet many of the GM full sized cars were. Last, but not least, the 1980-83 Dodge Mirada/Chrysler Cordoba. My dad bought it in 1985, rebuilt the engine and the front suspension and drove it for ten years. Only owned it for 27 years, lol. The neat clear-lens headlight covers are gone (most police departments ditched them) but everything else about this begs for a road trip. I have been showing the car for a few years and it has won some awards at car shows. Most of those wound up being wrecked on TV shows and movies. CNN got the prestige of a major car companys commercials running on their then-new channel and company cars for their reporters, Chrysler cleared out some of the sales bank and got a platform to advertise the coming K-cars. The car runs fine and yard drives but will need fully serviced and probably the brakes gone through and of course new tires before it could be considered roadworthy. I recall reading in a story of the early days of CNN, Ted Turner met Lee Iacocca. Brakes coming totally unset from the factory!  Yes, its really confusing to think why there is a transparent headlight cover. But you know, a funny thing happened. Ive known some people who still have working Lean Burn cars and even as a Mopar guy I consider them miracle cars to have one still working 35 plus years later.  From 1989 it received throttle body fuel injection and came with a 5.0-litre or 5.7-litre V8.  Given how much Chrysler was copying Buick styling with these R Bodies, Im surprised they didnt offer a version with rear fender skirts. The seats were a direct bolt on to the St. Regis seat tracks and even the headrests swapped over to the seats.  Your parents experience with a 78 LeBaron mirrored mine. Replacing the Monaco, the St. Regis was the largest Dodge sedan, positioned above the mid-size Diplomat and Aspen. I will include two cans of R12 refrigerant with the purchase of the car. For 1993, Dodge introduced its first Chrysler-developed full-size sedan with front-wheel drive, the Dodge Intrepid. Never buy a used cop car. With 42,000 miles and a 360 V8, this chocolate bar is an unusually well-preserved car. Im afraid it went beyond the rail yardsChryslers infamous sales bank occupied the Michigan State Fairgrounds, and anywhere else that unsold inventory could be stashed.  360 L-code, was white with blue interior. It was very fatiguing to herd that thing on the open road for any length of time. It was based on the old trusted B-body platform and was the fastest police sedan in the quarter mile and was fastest through circuit testing when compared to rival models. I bought it in Pa. and drove back to Mi. At the end of the 1970s, the Big Three were all moving towards smaller, lighter machines. Buy It Now +C $44.54 shipping. Dude could of at least, got rid of the laundry basket in the front Hopefully, it wasnt the ad to sell the car. This was 1979 and Chrysler still had dial radio with pushbutton Cadillac had digital soundsytems on all models back then. Its not in as good of shape as this one is. In the fall of 80, a wheel bearing failed, causing the front wheel to part company with the rest of the heap. 1979 DODGE ST. REGIS: Dodge dumped its really big Royal Monacos after 1977, leaving only mid-size Monacos for 1978. I got a replacement motor last year and Im happy to see those doors working again. Coinciding with its usage in law enforcement, the St. Regis appeared on multiple 1980s police-based television series, including Sledge Hammer!, "The A-Team" and T.J. Hooker. And maybe some donuts somewhere out of sightand we dont mean Dunkin. I drove a later model Volare a few times for work and it steered much better, so I suspect it may have just been our cars particular set up.  When you added in the income taxes he paid on the value of the Horizon (at the time, I recollect he was in the 70% marginal bracket) he said later he wished we had just declined the prize. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. St Louis County Police dept. Not sure if I even drove it around the block, or just in the parking lot. I only had the car at 135 once. (I guess thats the lean in Lean Burn.) It looks pretty good for 36 years and 100,000 miles. 1979 Dodge St Regis TV Hooker replica photographed Oct 2014: 1932 Ford Coupe Hot Rod Troy MI Police photographed Aug 2015: 1932 Ford Coupe Hot Rod Troy MI Police Has Power drivers seat (a little of the leather separated from the seam as shown), All power windows (back right is stuck shut) all leather seats, Cruise control (works perfectly) Power steering and Brakes, stock radio  turns on but only tunes into one station. For 1990, the Dodge brand re-entered the full-size segment with the fifth-generation Dodge Monaco. Software; Manufacturing; Industries . Base . Furthermore, CHP officers act as bailiffs for the California Supreme Court and California Court of Appeal, as well as providing security at buildings occupied by the State of California. Worked great for a long time until the display died. In this form it was almost identical to the Dodge Diplomat except for badging. I remember seeing the odd St. Regis around when I was younger; I really liked the clear headlamp covers. That car is long gone and sold away, but I originally coveted a St. Regis because my favorite show at the time was Sledge Hammer. This car runs and drive's beautifully and needs nothing to enjoy. 1979 Dodge Diplomat. Im actually using some disc brake parts from a St. Regis on my 66 Dart. Being less comfortable sounds much better than the lebaron though. The Ford LTD was built on the companys new downsized but still large Panther platform and featured 4.9-litre and 5.8-litre V8 engines, with the optional 351 being restricted for police operators only from 1981. The second gas crisis came in 1979, the car was bigger than the B-body GM or the new-for-1979 Panther platform over at Ford, the styling echoed the Buick LeSabre just a little too much, the old suspension design showed through, the big-block cop cars had gone so fleet sales wound up going to hell, and then there was the quality control issues. Im not even sure the oven was allowed to pre-heat. 
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