Cop Car Advertising

[amazinblue82]

Gonna cut my baby teeth on the new FCBO format..learn how to survive in the new world.

Today I gave my cop car brochures to the Old Car Manual Project. I didnt have many but it might help.

Police cars - The Old Car Manual Project

Stumbled across these vintage ads and decided to post a few. I remember these (and others) way before the cop car bug bit me in my early 20's. I just instantly thought ..these cops drive cool cars, understated plain janes, but ferocious "run-yo-butt-down" performers.

So when I stopped being intimidated by them rumbling through the neighborhood at night (yes, it was a tough "hood") in my teens, and bought a few at auction in the late 1970's, I was hooked for life.

But the ads..they were cool. Look at the writing...textbook marketing prose, just like with the civi cars, that was lost in the look-alike era and only now coming back a bit.

If any of you find any vintage (or even the new stuff) cop promotional literature, toss it on if you can. If there is another thread on the Forum that has such materials, point me to it please (and I will ask Joey nicely to blow this one up when gets a second)

 

[amazinblue82]

Couple more

 

[amazinblue82]

And a couple more..

 

[amazinblue82]

 

[amazinblue82]

Take a peek at Post 14..from 2 1/2 yrs ago...

1961 chp | For C Bodies Only Classic Mopar Forum

 

[amazinblue82]

 

[amazinblue82]

Our Friends at AMC...dunno. not sure these strike "fear" in the hearts of bad guys. plus only AMC cop rig i am familiar with is the Matador from the 70's

 

[amazinblue82]

DeSoto cop cars...never knew existed, never seen one before today (that I recall).

 

[LocuMob]

Sweet ads amazingblue82! I always loved looking g through old National Geographic magazines for the ads they had in them. Simple and to the point. Too bad we live in a short attention span, ADHD mentality of advertising.

 

[amazinblue82]

Sweet ads amazingblue82! I always loved looking g through old National Geographic magazines for the ads they had in them. Simple and to the point. Too bad we live in a short attention span, ADHD mentality of advertising.

yeah man, the old marketing prose made ya' wanna go drive one..whatever it was .. right now!

AND, they used art work...photos are cool too to be sure.. but i also liked when they drew the car like those 1959 ads above for example :cool:

 

[amazinblue82]

My 1968 Plymouth Police Brochure..i took out the B bodies except for cover and one inside page..until the Old Car Brochure Folks get it on their site I hope.

oh and the full size option on the NEW FCBO is workin' cherry here..so you can read the small print. nice feature...

 

[amazinblue82]

Forgot the Ambassador police rig...I do remember these. sportin 390 V8's.

 

[amazinblue82]

The 1963 Dodges

 

[cantflip]

As a kid, I was rebondoing the family truckster together every summer... by the time I was 12 some of the neighbors had me doing their cars too. An older guy who lived at the end of the block invited me into his garage one day and offered me his collection of old Popular Science and Mechanix Illustrated magazines. I was thrilled... I had boxes and boxes of them... read a lot of Tom McCahill reviews. Unfortunately I lost them along with all the rest of the automotive literature I had accumulated in a minor flood. The basement of my rental house was always dry and everything was well off the floor... I lost an engine and other stuff too... it still hurts a little... the reviews and adds... I don't remember anything but the cars... but I could read those for hours and be happy.

 

[amazinblue82]

Arthur Godfrey (you may need a gray hair or two to know who he was) hawking Plymouth Furys...leading with the cop version ending with a nice civi coupe.

For a while Plymouth (Chrysler) was definitely not shy talking about its police stuff in the mainstream print and TV media.

 

[amazinblue82]

Another 1963 Rambler...again, I have NO memory of AMC cop rigs before 1970. don't recall even seeing them in my part of the country (Michigan and Kansas).

could also be cuz i was still ridin' pedal trikes and bikes and paying attention to the civilian cars my Dad taught me to recognize the year-to-year model changes starting from 1951 to 1970.

and he was not fan of the plain Jane looks of "John Law's" police cars. he was more a "fins/chrome/full wheel covers/electric this and power that" kinda buyer -- as long as it was big V8 though.

anyway, these 60's Rambler police cars might have been kinda spry -- ''more power per pound" they tout. Tougher and faster than they appear (like E58 F-body Mopars)?

anybody have any insights? seen any in the flesh today?

 

[amazinblue82]

Hard to read -- couldn't find any that could be resized and still be somewhat legible.

but i think these real people extolling "second hand" police cars? Aimed at getting people to buy a civi car with next purchase based on the old cop car experience?

OR, were ads were aimed at Fleet Buyers to get them buy Plymouths, and then retire them to the benefit of their local citizens and buy MORE Plymouths?

maybe both cohorts were targeted by Plymouth ..using the Police car as the selling tool?

UPDATE: the publication is "The American City" magazine (founded in 1909)...apparently focuses on municipalities. Fleet buyers and other state and local decision makers read this "trade" journal - smart Chrysler move.

 

[amazinblue82]

More Ad Art...

 

[amazinblue82]

Some more brochure art.

 

[amazinblue82]

Mid Seventies C's