(Originally posted on July 9, 2006)
OK, so it's exactly a thousand and six miles from my house. Nevertheless, I spotted this Hemi Charger at a speed trap in Littleton, Colorado about a week ago and followed it back to the station to get some pictures. It's good to see rear-wheel-drive V8 Mopars back in the police fleets. The fact that it's a fuel-injected Hemi V8 is a bonus. I'm not sure if this has the 345 cubic inch (5.7L) Hemi or the optional 370 cubic inch (6.1L) Hemi.
Personally, I love cop cars. It's one reason I got into Mopars in the first place. In high school, a buddy took his '70 Mach I on a road trip to Wyoming on a liquor run. (Back then the drinking age in Wyoming was 19 and he had a buddy who was 19.) In Virginia Dale, Colorado, about 5 miles from the Wyoming state line, he sped past a Colorado State Trooper. The Mach I was doing about 70 in a 55 zone, the Trooper was stopped. My friend figured he could get to the state line and lose the cop in Laramie, so he floored it. The cop shagged him down in about a mile. No contest.
Officer Friendly proceeded to explain to him that he was driving a '74 Plymouth Gran Fury with the 'U' code Police Interceptor 440. No way was a 351C Mustang gonna outrun him, no way was he gonna outrun the radio, and incidentally, the police are free to cross state lines in a pursuit. My friend's dad took the Mustang away and we were all very interested in what exactly this Plymouth 440 was all about. Another friend then bought a '70 'Cuda 383 and proceeded to kick some butt at the high school drags. Some months later I bought my first Mopar, a yellow '71 Plymouth Duster 318 and proceeded to build my first 440 from police parts in the junkyards (and someone mentioned this wild crossram intake that Chrysler used to make...). I've owned more Mopars than I can remember since then, including a couple of cop cars, thanks to Officer Friendly and his 440.
So keep an eye out for the next Mt. Prospect police auction. You may need to fix the lighter, but they're practically givin' 'em away!
