It's the one kind of car you'll see every single day that we guarantee you wouldn't pass up the chance to drive: A police car.
There's no question that Jay Leno is living just about every car enthusiast's dream with his Jay Leno's Garage web series. In this latest episode, he checks out a 1961 Dodge Polara California Highway Patrol car, which was recently restored by the Automobile Club of Southern California.
The Polara police package consisted of the expected "cop motor, cop tires, cop suspension, and cop shocks," but it also utilized Chrysler's 383-cubic inch V-8, not its larger 413 V-8.
Leno learns from Club spokesmen Morgan Yates and Dave Skaien about the new-for-1961 police package Polara. The Club's car is one of more than 1,000 made, but as with most police cars, the Polaras that used to patrol the Golden State's highways were ridden hard and put up wet (assuming that they even sat still). As a result, this particular car is one of just two '61 Polara police cruisers left.
Check out the video and be glad that this menacing Polara isn't in your rearview mirror.
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