This month’s Americana Thursday blogs will feature a selection of North American law enforcement vehicles, starting with today’s featured 1971 Plymouth Fury.

This car was registered in the UK on April 1st 1978 and is officially quoted as having a 5 litre / 302 cui motor which I suspect is actually a 5.2 litre / 318 cui motor.

In 1971 Mopar Police Packages included a 155 hp (net) 318 cui option for “all but pursuits“, while researching this blog I stumbled on this fascinating 1971 film made at the California Highway Patrol training facility which features a large number of Mopar law enforcement vehicles including a pursuit Speedbird !

Closer inspection of the grill reveals today’s featured car may have been supplied by Garage Visscher near Utrecht in the Netherlands, however Henk Visscher had kindly informed me that while Garage Visscher was under his fathers control only Simca, Chrysler, Sunbeam, Matra, Talbot, Mitisubishi, Alfa Romeo, Opel, Renault, Nissan, Peugeot and Citroèn were sold, but no Plymouth’s so the Garage Visscher badge may have been applied some time after the car was purchased. So far as I am aware Dutch “Polite” forces there used VW Beetles for patrols and Porsche’s for more demanding pursuit work at the time this vehicle was supplied, so in all probability this car was supplied to a non police customer.

Film buffs may recognise the paint job bears a striking resemblance to the thirteen 1974 Dodge Monaco “Bluesmobiles” used in the making of the Blues Brothers film. Indeed this vehicle was used on the streets of Bristol to promote a Blues Brothers stage/tribute act.

The 1971 incarnation of the fifth generation “Fuselage” Fruy offered for the first time an option of a stereo tape player “with microphone” with which customers could record the radio and or make dictations.

Thanks for joining me on this “Civilian In A Smokey Wrapper” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !