For Collectors
Where These Cars Survive
Seeing a genuine historic police car in person is harder than it should be, and the reason is not neglect. It is that almost none of them were kept.
A department bought a car to work it. It ran it until it failed, then sold what was left into whatever came next: taxi service, a small-town fleet, a demolition derby, or a wrecker who wanted the driveline. Nobody was preserving them, because nobody thought of them as worth preserving. They were tools, and tools get used up.
The result is that survival rates are poor across the board, and worst for exactly the cars people most want to see. Buick built two hundred and seventy of its 1955 Century Model 68 for the California Highway Patrol; the best account of survivors identifies four believed-original cars, and openly questions whether all four are what they are claimed to be. One long-time owner of a 1969 CHP Polara reports six years of searching before he found a genuine one.
So the places below matter more than they might for another kind of car. These are institutions with real vehicles rather than photographs.
Check before you travel. Collections rotate, vehicles go out for restoration or to events, and opening arrangements change. Everything on this page was accurate when written, but a phone call or an email before a long drive is always worth it. If you find something here is out of date, please tell us and we will correct it.
Museums with vehicle collections
Cleveland Police Museum
Cleveland, Ohio · clevelandpolicemuseum.org
The most interesting of these for anyone who cares about the cars specifically, because the museum maintains what it calls its Vintage Fleet, and the vehicles are genuinely restored rather than merely stored. Its holdings have included a 1970 Plymouth Fury I with the 440 Super Commando engine, originally a Wyoming State Police car and restored by the museum’s own crew; a 1978 Ford LTD painted in the “Safety Green” that came out of a National Highway Safety experiment to improve patrol car visibility; and a 2011 Crown Victoria from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, described by the museum as the last of the white, full-size, rear-wheel-drive cars. The museum also hosts a vintage first responder vehicle show.
California Highway Patrol Museum
West Sacramento, California · chpmuseum.org
Run by the CHP Foundation, an independent non-profit that receives no state funding, with ongoing projects to restore and preserve cars and motorcycles from the patrol’s history. Worth knowing before you go: the museum sits on the grounds of an active training academy, is open by appointment only, and requires an escort at all times for visitor safety. Hours can be limited depending on the Academy’s schedule. Plan ahead rather than turning up.
Detroit Police Museum
Detroit, Michigan · detroitpublicsafety.org
Not primarily a vehicle collection, but relevant to anyone following this history for a specific reason: Detroit is where a great deal of it starts. This is the department that bought its first police car in 1909, when Commissioner Frank Croul paid for a Packard out of his own pocket after the city council refused to fund one, and the department that built the first practical police radio system. The museum’s holdings run to badges, uniforms and departmental history rather than cars, so go for the story rather than the metal.
The other places to look
General automotive museums
Large collections occasionally hold a police car, usually a famous one rather than a representative one. These come and go with rotating exhibits, so check current listings rather than relying on anything you read about a visit somebody made years ago.
Police and first responder vehicle shows
Often the best option, and consistently underrated. Preserved police cars are overwhelmingly in private hands, and shows are where those owners bring them. You will see more genuine variety at one good show than in most museums, and you can talk to the people who own and restore them, which is worth more than any placard.
Department open days and anniversaries
Many agencies keep one or two restored cars for outreach and bring them out for community events, academy graduations and anniversaries. These are rarely advertised beyond the local area, so it is worth following the departments whose history interests you.
A note on what you are looking at. A car in a museum is not automatically what the label says. Provenance on these vehicles is frequently thin, and even well-meaning collections repeat what they were told when a car was donated. If a car matters to you, the same questions apply as anywhere else: what does the identification tag say, and what documentation came with it? How to identify a genuine police package car →
Know what you are looking at
The Golden Age covers what each manufacturer’s package actually contained, how the codes worked and how to read them, and a full chapter on verifying a car. Useful before a museum visit, and considerably more useful before a purchase.
See the ebookFrequently asked questions
Where can I see a vintage American police car?
Museums with genuine vehicle collections are the reliable option, including the Cleveland Police Museum’s Vintage Fleet and the California Highway Patrol Museum in West Sacramento. Beyond museums, police and first responder vehicle shows are often the best opportunity, because most preserved police cars are privately owned and shows are where their owners bring them.
Why are old police cars so rare?
Because they were used up rather than preserved. Departments ran cars until they failed and then sold them into taxi service, small fleets, demolition derbies or the scrap trade. Desirable engines were often worth more removed than the car was whole. Of the 270 Buick Century Model 68s built for the California Highway Patrol in 1955, the best account of survivors identifies four believed-original cars and questions whether all four are genuine.
Can I visit the CHP Museum?
Yes, but by appointment only. The museum is on the grounds of an active training academy, an escort is required at all times for visitor safety, and hours can be limited depending on the Academy’s schedule. Arrange a visit in advance rather than arriving unannounced.
Is a police car in a museum guaranteed to be genuine?
No. Provenance on these vehicles is often thin, and collections can repeat what they were told when a car was donated. The same checks apply as anywhere else: the option code on the identification tag, and whatever documentation came with the car.