Category: Classic Police

OEB 580H
Mid-Anglia Constabulary
Ford Cortina Lotus

4533 KV
Hillman Imp

WRA 672F
ex-Derbyshire
Morris Minor

853 UXM
Wolsley 6/80
Preserved police car

D116 EAJ
North Yorkshire Police
BMW R45Tic
On display at Ripon Prison and Police Museum, having been donated by North Yorkshire Police. It sits inside one of the old prisoner cells and was a tight squeeze to push it into place. The tax disc shows that it was last on the road in 1997.

M751 CVC
Metropolitan Police Service
Land Rover Range Rover

M955 TWY
North Yorkshire Police
Vauxhall Astra
Based at Ripon police station in the late 1990s

M859 AWS
Avon and Somerset Police
Vauxhall Senator
This car has been in preservation for a number of years after leaving front-line service

D444 KVM
Greater Manchester Police
Ford Capri 2.8i Special
This 1986 car saw service in the Tameside area of Manchester based at Ashton-under-Lyne between 1986 and 1989. The car was disposed of by the force when it entered civilian life. The car has had a number of private owners until it was discovered and a full restoration began in 2018 to reinstate it to its police livery.

R712 ORB
Volvo S70
Used by the National Emergency Services Museum at Sheffield

D676 FBP
Hampshire Constabulary
BMW 528i

L581 GVT
Staffordshire Police
Jaguar XJ 40

M752 CVC
Metropolitan Police Service
Range Rover
This P38 Range Rover was one of a small fleet of police demonstrators loaned by Land Rover to various UK forces. It was then sold to the Met in 1997 and used until 2003 as a traffic car. It is seen here prior to the original livery being restored.

OHO 854G
Portsmouth City Police
Morris Minor
This replica vehicle was a dog unit. The van had two-tone horns fitted when most other vehicles at the time still used a bell. Each dog handler had their own vehicle that they customised to their liking. The car has a 1.1 litre engine producing 48 bhp.

D882 GEC
Lancashire Constabulary
Rover SD1 3500
This 1980s traffic car has been expertly and perfectly restored back to factory condition by James Wade. When the automotive engineering graduate bought the car in 2012 it was in a poor state. Incalculable hours and a lot of money later, it was a star of the show at Birmingham’s NEC classic car show in 2018.

KYP 637D
Home Office
Austin Gipsy
Police Mobile Column from 1966. This is the only preserved mobile police column vehicle still on the road. The description refers to its use in the Cold War civil defence force that was intended to patrol the UK in the event of a nuclear attack. It was delivered to the Home Office in 1967 but the force was disbanded a year later and the Gipsy was passed to Hampshire Police. After some use, it was superseded by the Ford Transit and so went into storage. After passing through a few private hands, it returned to the UK from Ireland in 2016 and underwent re-liverying back into its original 1966/7 livery. It has never been restored! The interior is totally original and the vehicle has covered less than 6,000 miles in its long life. It is even still using the original exhaust. It is a real time-warp vehicle.

J844 KHG
Lancashire Constabulary
Austin Maestro
In great condition when seen in 2018 when it was for sale

FGH 508T
Lincolshire Police
Morris Marina

B211 WPX
Hampshire Constabulary
Volvo 240

BMA 766S
North Wales Constabulary
British Leyland Mini

TJA 972X
Greater Manchester Police
Range Rover
The car has its blue lights and police markings covered up as it arrives at a car show. Notice the hand-held sign in the rear asking drivers to ‘follow me’

YN08 FGO
South Yorkshire Police
Volvo V70

YN58 GMX
South Yorkshire Police
Volvo S60

GAR 638T
Hertfordshire Constabulary
Ford Cortina 1.6 L
This model Cortina shows what was in use in Herts in the late 1970s. All five generations of Cortina gave sterling service to many Police forces during the model’s twenty year production life, which ended in 1982. The car modelled was used as a Divisional Area Car and was based at Hitchin Police Station. In common with other Hertfordshire Constabulary vehicles it carried dual roof mounted spotlights as well as the equipment required to deal with a variety of emergency situations. All the constabulary’s Divisional Area Cars were ordered in blue to distinguish them from the force’s traffic patrol units, which were white.

M992 YOO
Ministry of Defence Police
Vauxhall Cavalier
This model is an example of the vehicles used by the MOD in 1995. It has a 2.0 litre engine producing 134 bhp and a maximum speed of 125mph. The 0-60 mph time is 9.0secs.

SV05 CXO
Grampian Police
Jaguar X-Type

P572 ERJ
Greater Manchester Police
Land Rover Range Rover 4.0

NHT 615F
Morris Minor

L581 GVT
Staffordshire Police
Jaguar XJ6 PS
The ‘Police Special’ version of Jaguar’s 4.0 litre XJ6 model. The car joined Staffs Police from new in 1993. It later moved to be used by the driving training unit before moving to front-line duties as a traffic car. The rear seats were taken out when it was used as a traffic car as the boot was not big enough to accommodate the kit that was carried. The seats were later reinstated so the vehicle could be used to carry detainees. It was the first video car on the central traffic group. It definitely had rear seats but also had a VHS video recorder in the boot as it was in the early days of video cars. The car has been in preservation since 2003.

M751 CVC
Metropolitan Police Service
Land Rover Range Rover Vogue
This vehicle was new in 1994 when it was part of Land Rover’s police demonstrator fleet. After being passed around a number of forces, it found a permanent home withy the Met Police in 1997 as part of the Special Escort Group. Its most famous moment was escorting Princess Diana’s funeral cortege in 1997. It left police service in 2002.

JPT 338C
Durham Constabulary
Austin Mini
This model shows some of the standard features such as one wing mirror, and a wailer siren and bell mounted on the front.

OEB 579H
Mid-Anglia Constabulary
Ford Lotus Cortina
The super-fast version of the standard Ford Cortina.

ELB 877J
Metropolitan Police Service
Morris Minor 1000
The 1970 vehicle was used to drive from Lands End to John O’Groats in 2017 for charity

YN57 FDF
South Yorkshire Police
Ford Transit
This ex-SYP PSU has been passed over to the National Emergency Services Museum and now carries wording to say this

Metropolitan Police Service
Wolseley 6/80
Dating from 1952, this car is believed to be the second such vehicle purchased by the Met. It was bought by the National Emergency Services Museum in 2017

MWA 721P
South Yorkshire Police
Rover 3500
Dating from 1976 and now preserved and part of the fleet of the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield

K301 EKU
South Yorkshire Police
Mercedes Benz 711D
Communications unit from the 1990s

YYX 315T
South Yorkshire Police
Land Rover Series 3
Riot van dating from 1978. Preserved and part of the fleet of the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield

CWR 463H
Wolseley 16-60
Preserved and part of the fleet of the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield

Morris Minor
Preserved and part of the fleet of the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield

YN07 MFK
South Yorkshire Police
BMW R1200RT
Preserved and part of the fleet of the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield

H351 YUK
Metropolitan Police Service
Rover Metro
A well-preserved Metro from 1990. The single orange stripe down the side is not the livery of the Met Police from this era.

D676 FBP
Hamshire Constabulary
BMW E28 5 Series
This preserved traffic car was based at Cosham and patrolled the motorways around Portsmouth in the late 1980s. The car has 185 bhp and a top speed of 140 mph. Notice the boot-mounted police spoiler housing the police and stop signs. A multi-use vehicle, it also carried a gun box for armed deployments.

JPN 62D
Velocette LE
Dating from 1966 with telephone receiver on the rear for radio communication

VKA 310H
Liverpool Police
Mini Cooper
New in 1970, and faithfully restored in 2014, this car was one of 27 Mini Coopers that saw service with Liverpool Police.

M830 RNN Derbyshire Constabulary Ford Granada

SEP 498 A moggie with a Moggie! A cat sits in front of a preserved Morris Minor police car.

D183 TVK Northumbria Police Vauxhall Nova dating from 1986. This car was used as a beat patrol car in the counties of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. It is the 1.2 litre engine example producing a maximum of 55 horsepower. When being pushed to the limit by a brave driver, it would accelerate to 60 mpis a model of  in 14 seconds and go on to a nerve-wracking top speed of 94 mph.

Later models saw a wide red stripe added to the sides, with a break for the crest on the front doors. This complemented the existing police box on the roof. The illuminated box could show the word ‘stop’ on the rear only and of course the blue rotating beacon is mounted on top for maximum visibility. This is a model of the actual vehicle.

GUU 101W A preserved Met Police Land Rover Series 3

The vehicle squeezes under the modern-day New Scotland Yard rotating sign

The rear

A 210 A Met Police Morris Minor 1000 which is in preservation



The side



The rear

P161 PYW A Met Police preserved Rover 827 Fastback



The rear



A Head on look

KLE 772 A Met Police preserved Wolseley 18/85 dating from 1948

A Met Police solo escorts four classic Met Police bikes

A152 SUW Metropolitan Police Rover 3500 SD1. Dating from 1983, this iconic car is the favourite 1980s police car. This particular car is famous for being the back-up camera car for The Liver Run.



The rear – outside New Scotland Yard.



The front.



The badge.



The interior.



The car in traffic.



The SD1 brings smiles all round.

HNJ 667D A 1966 DMW Deemster. A small fleet of such motorbikes were built in Wolverhampton using Villers 250 cc engines. They were used by Sussex Police in the Lewes area. Notice that the bike carries a front registration plate and only has headlights to the front. Arm signals were used in place of indicators.



A look at the bike from the side. It is now in private ownership by one of the mechanics who originally built it.



The spartan controls show a telephone handset for contacting the control room and two circular duckets for storage.

TJA 972X An ex-Greater Manchester Police Range Rover.



A close up look at the police sign on the roof showing the raised letters.

K166 GWY A West Yorkshire Police Vauxhall Cavalier dating from 1993. It is the powerful SRI model and was in service from 1993 to 1997. It is now preserved.



The rear view, showing the red-on-red chevrons and matrix sign where the registration plate usually sits. The registration plate has been placed on the bumper and an additional light added to illuminate it at night (a legal requirement). This rear arrangement was standard on West Yorkshire traffic vehicles right through to the mid Noughties.

F819 LOO A Ford Granada 2.9 4×4 that is in preservation. It is one of eight such cars that Ford produced and trialled in various police forces. The car shown was loaned to Wiltshire Constabulary in 1988 and was retired in 1991.



The car has many various changes from the standard model, the most noticeable being the aerodynamic casing for the roof-mounted lights. This was revolutionary but ultimately unsuccessful due to the increased cost.



A closer look at the special roof. The centre square flips up to display different messages to traffic behind. The appropriate message from a fixed selection is placed onto the vertical surface.



The rear of the concept car. The large white boxes on the boot lid are rear-facing flashing lights that operate when the boot is open.

GKX 478N A 1974 Rover 3500. The police car has been perfectly preserved and looks just as it would when new.



The rear view of the iconic car.



A closer look at the bonnet badge, traffic officer cap.



A closer look at the roof-mounted equipment.

RTW 663 A beautifully preserved Ford Pilot police car. This is a 1950 example of the V8 4-Door car that served with Essex Police. It has the Winkworth bell, siren, spotlight and police plate shown.



A look at the front of the Ford Pilot. There are no blue flashing lights – just illuminating the headlights would attract attention.



The rear view, showing a further police plate.

GKA 394D This 1960’s ex-Liverpool City Police Zephyr was used as a traffic car and ended its police life as a VIP escort duty car. It has since been used as a taxi and as a TV prop car. As of 2013, it is stripped and being refurbished.

PGW 834L An Austin 1100. This preserved police car is seen here attracting the attention of passing Londoners, bringing them towards a police crime prevention roadshow.



The rear view of the crowd puller.

M859 AWS Here is a Vauxhall Senator 24v traffic car that was in use by Avon and Somerset here in 1995. It is posed on the Second Severn Crossing just prior to it opening.

C398 LEG Here is a 1985 Ford Escort model from Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

827 NTC An MG A Roadster dating from 1960. This type of police vehicle was used for traffic policing duties, including on the new motorways. Notice the large black wailing siren mounted on the front.



A closer look at the illuminated police sign and amber warning light (a predecessor of the blue flashing light).



A look over the shoulder of the driver. It was normal practice to drive the car with the roof folded down so other motorists could see the police uniforms.



On the rear is an illuminated ‘police stop’ sign. The ‘stop’ part would be illuminated when requiring a motorist to pull over. This was done by first overtaking the target car, in contrast to today where stops are made from behind.

GUU 101W This is very well preserved example of a Metropolitan Police Land Rover dating from 1980.

OEB 580H This is a Ford Lotus Cortina police car. It is a high performance car that was collaboratively made by Ford and Lotus in the 1960s.



The rear view.

VUO 719J This is a 1971 Triumph 2000 police car that saw service with Exeter City Police.



The rear view.

SUK 530S This is classic Triumph 2500TC police car that saw service with West Midlands Police from 1977. Notice the two white spotlamps on the roof, a common feature of traffic vehicles from this era.

UCE 380K Here is a classic Triumph Toledo police car replica. This type of car was used to patrol rural Nottinghamshire in the early 1970s. Notice the black roof.



The rear view. The blue light has been covered up with black material to help avoid people thinking it is an active police car and to comply with the road vehicle lighting regulations. The police signs are magnetically attached.

D447 KVM This photograph shows a Greater Manchester Police Ford Capri when it was in active service.

D439 KVM A Ford Capri traffic policing car, sister vehicle of the one above. This preserved vehicle looks exactly as it did when it was in service with Greater Manchester Police in the 1980s.



One of the trademarks of 80’s traffic police cars was the enormous rear police sign. You can see here how it looks like a spoiler and lights up with ‘police’ on the left hand side and can show ‘stop’ in red on the right.

B289 HAB This photograph shows a Range Rover that was in service with West Mercia from 1985 to 1988. It was part of the traffic policing division. It is now preserved and is at present only missing the force crest from the front doors and the calibrated speedometer from the centre of the dashboard.

LAR 988C This Ford Anglia dates from 1965 and was made famous by appearing in many episodes of the vintage police television show Heartbeat. Notice the white doors and front half of the roof. There is also a ‘police’ roofbox fitted with a blue flashing beacon on top. This type of box and beacon set-up was in use on UK police cars through to the mid 1990s.

WRO 509E This is another very similar Ford Anglia that appeared on Heartbeat. In the background you can see Aidenfield Stores. Aidenfield is the ficticous setting for the TV show – it is actually the village of Goathland near the North Yorkshire coast.

HRL 999L This is an ex-Metropolitan Police Rover P6 3500 V8. The car carries almost no indication it is for police use, except for the blue rotating beacon and spot lamps. It dates from 1973 and is now in preservation.

NLX 258L This is a black Morris Mini van dating from 1972. It was for sale in early 2009 for £5750, much more than when the car was new!



The rear view of the Mini.

Here is a police officer and cycle from yesteryear. Notice the white bands on the ends of the sleeve that are used to show that he is on duty.

K244 EYT is preserved Rover Metro from the Metropolitan Police. The wheel trims were removed by the force to reduce the chance of them causing injury or damage if they came off during high speed driving.



The rear view of the immaculate looking Rover.

VBF 594 This classic police car is a Jaguar Mk.II, the epitome of the 1960s police car. It has a small ‘police’ plate on the front and a single blue rotating beacon on the roof. Some forces mounted the ‘police’ plate on the roof.

PTD 975M is a Ford Consul of the Lancashire Constabulary. It is actually a Ford Granada but the smaller-engined versions were given the Consul name for the first few years of production. Notice the large black police sign on the roof and the black markings on the rear of the sides.

D676 FBP This is a 1987 BMW 528i that was in service with Hampshire Constabulary. It is now privately preserved as a police vehicle by a Hampshire police officer.

C307 BYO is a very well preserved example of a Metropolitan Police Rover SD1 3500. Notice the two siren units mounted below the bumper and the ‘police’ sign mounted on the tip of the bonnet.

A431 PTP This is a 1983 Jaguar 4.2 XJ6 police car. It was used by Hampshire police and is now preserved.

MWA 721P This icon of the 1970s is a Rover P6 3500. Popular with police forces across the country, this example was with South Yorkshire Police. The ‘3500’ in its name refers to the 3500 cc V8 engine that powered this car. Notice the police roof box, with blue rotating beacon on the top and two rear-facing red lights attached to the sides.

YYX 315T is a Land Rover 109 that was used in the late 70s and early 80s by South Yorkshire Police as an armoured vehicle. You can see the toughened windscreen and small windows on the sides. It has a small crest and ‘police’ wording on the side.

H217 YUC This is a Metropolitan Police BMW R80 motorcycle which is currently in preservation. Despite the fact that it is no longer in used, the vehicle has been kept fully operational.



The rear view of the bike showing the illuminating police sign and mast mounted blue rotating beacon.

A152 SUW This is a Metropolitan Police Rover SD1 3500. This car was a common site throughout the UK in the late 1970s and 1980s. It has two rotating beacons on the roof, as well an an illuminable ‘police’ sign mounted on the bonnet, between the headlights. Up the sides are red and yellow stripes and the Met’s logo. This livery was used up until the late 1990s.



The rear view of the same SD1. Notice that a large ‘spolier’ sign that has been fitted which illuminates ‘police’ and optionally ‘stop’. The Rover SD1 is often regarded as the best traffic policing car of its era. The Met actually stockpiled them when they heard Rover were to stop making them.

AOD 443B is a preserved Austin ‘black maria’ police van from the early 1960s.

ECU 348E In the same colour as the Austin is this Ford Transit police van. Notice the flashing blue beacon and horns on the roof.



The rear view of the Ford. The police in the UK started using the Transit at its introduction in the 1960’s, and still use it today.

XAS 546 This black police Zepher is fitted with police wording signs in the same style as registration plates and a blue flashing light.

BAP 886K A MG B GT police car. Currently being privately preserved, this 1971 example is displaying an optional ‘wide load’ sign for escorting large vehicles. This type of car was used for traffic policing duties, but didn’t really have enough carrying capacity.



The rear view of the same car. Notice the illuminable stop sign on the rear bumper. When not on display, the police sign and blue light are removed to stay legal on the roads.

S644 SLB and PGW 834L A Metropolitan Police Ford Fiesta panda car and a far older panda being washed.

The rare sight of a pristine Austin Landcrab police car.