1980 Dodge Aspen (Canadian brochure). It would be the last full-size Plymouth model ever built. piraf23, tim boone and 16 more people faved this 1979 Dodge Mangum XE. Although it is not a police package car, have cloned it to represent the police department from the 1980s TV show "TJ Hooker" that starred William Shatner and Heather Locklear. I think a horizontal bar grille, as Dodge was introducing at the time, would have been a nice touch. In contrast to both the Monaco and the Diplomat, the St. Regis was offered solely as a four-door sedan. Menu. The skimpy 7 1/4 rear end wore out prematurely. Volare has feather like steering also makes it less comfortable to drive on interstate at 70, but its still possible. Rwcar4 Police Car Photos Classic Police Cars. Ok, this is painstakingly hard to do however I've decided to sell this original, never any rust or filler, 80 Plymouth Gran Fury E38 Police Package Unit with 80K miles, 360 HP, HD 727 and Rear. This car brings back a lot of bad memories for me, sadly. Deriving its name from a 1950s Chrysler trim package, the St. Regis was the first example of downsizing of the full-size Dodge sedan line. The Caprice was Chevrolets mainstay for this period and was very popular, staying in production until 1990. For much of the show's run, Shatner drove an equally forgettable . Historic Drag Video: Ultra-Rare Footage Of Art Arfons Green Monster And The Dud Jet Dragster, Great Read: The Man Who Would Be Greyhound: A 1986 Sports Illustrated Profile Of Big Daddy Don Garlits. Its so fortunate the car is equipped with FM too ( I bought a parts radio from ebay for my volare as I cant stand the AM radio in remote north Michigan countryside ) and more than one speaker is a big plus on St Regis. The popular Dodge Diplomat was based on Chryslers mid-size M-body platform from 1977. I remember Dabney Coleman driving one in the hilarious car chase in the movie Short Time, and wondering just how that thing held together. Broad Brook, Connecticut, United States. No wonder the Japanese turned the tide around 1982-83 with the Marysville, Ohio made(1st year made in US) Honda Accord and debut year, 1983 Toyota Camry. 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT) NO RESV, 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ALL ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT) 52K, 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ALL ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT), 1963 DODGE POLICE CAR, ORIGINAL AMARILLO TEXAS POLICE UNIT. the engine was a 318 V8, and unlike today's cop cars, these could only go but so fast. Although it is not a police package car, have cloned it to represent the police department from the 1980s TV show "TJ Hooker"that starred William Shatner and Heather Locklear. Like a lot of old Chrysler products they were driven for years and then simply became scrap. The timing cover in between the block and water pump, with coolant passages cast into it, so coolant actually passes through the timing cover. Used by a wide variety of Chrysler model lines, the B-body architecture underpinned model lines ranging from the Dodge Coronet and Plymouth Belvedere to the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Cordoba. After the Audi, he bought a Toyota Previa, which functioned beautifully, and never bought another non-Japanese car again. Call 916-661-8753 with any questions. I wonder if they were actually any more comfortable? In the winter of 1993, I was hunting for a replacement for my ruined 67 Sport Fury and looked at a couple of Magnums, both with actual leather. We'll give you credit for the submission (of course) and what is cooler than showing all your gang that you have a story on Bang Shift? 2018 Ford Escape SEL. The digital clock lights, ut does not reset. That car is long gone and sold away, but I originally coveted a St. Regis because my favorite show at the time was Sledge Hammer. . Even so, the original unit in the St Regis has FM radio that I really hope for ( AM only in North Michigan doesnt return many channels ). Given the glacial maximum acceleration rate, there wasnt much of a visual cue it was being hooned anyway. Alternatively (and preferably for my 17 year old self) you could just gun it enough to delay the upshift. My son has one sitting behind my shop that he got from an estate a couple years back. Your email address will not be published. Appearances in The Blues Brothers and the television series T.J. Hooker assured the Dodge St. Regis would remain in the public eye for many years, though few were made and they quickly disappeared from the roads. After the departure of my St. Regis, I made the mistake of purchasing a 95 VW Jetta GLI (my first new car) which spent more time at my VW dealer for repairs than it did in my driveway. 1979 Dodge Car Lineup. Perhaps push bumpers and prisoner partion screen (great for grandchildren or wife). Pursuit Police Vehicle (2012-2014) Cars belonging to Dodge Charger 7th-gen. Never buy a used cop car. ACCOUNT 0. Required fields are marked *. Poor quality, especially on the interior was common. 1979 Dodge Diplomat (Brochure). I am the second owner of this 1979 Dodge St. Regis. I only got to ride in one of these once, in the mid-1980s when I was in graduate school. 1970-1979 Dodge car pdf sales brochures, catalogs and electronic media. The police car version of the Belvedere sedan was a . Lol. The back seat was surprisingly roomy and compared well to Dads oh-so-broughamy 1980 Buick Limited, which was a beloved family vehicle. Ill let the ad copy speak for itself.) Good ones are extremely hard to come by. Im really not feeling the love for this car. That is me. Even nicer if you want to stay with a factory radio is to salvage the radio wiring harness from a later 80s-2000 era Mopar, retrofit it to the St. Regis and use one of the AM-FM cassette/CD players and it still looks good and it just bolts right in. He never even got it on the road, as he didnt even had a drivers license yet! The car is offered for sale locally, nd I reserve the right to end the auction early. But, I digress.) I believe 79 was when Lee Iacocca came in to clean house. The headlight doors have been manually cranked open. Model WC WC-12 1979 Dodge St. Regis For Sale. Door handles coming off, seams tearing loose, dashes cracking in 2 years, the pad and horn switches falling out of the steering wheels, mirrors falling off, mechanical digital clocks failing, dash switches and knobs breaking, especially on the climate control and push button radios, headliners falling down, sunvisors breaking, etc. (includes original 1979 License plate that came with the car when I purchased it). 1979 Dodge Truck Color Chart. I don't know if it runs or not, it looks all complete, has the . Police Cars . Im not even sure the oven was allowed to pre-heat. Why? Cool Project Series: Full Boost Is Turbocharging A 351-Cleveland Powered 1976 Ford F-350 Ramp Truck. The A/C compressor turns on, ut it blows warm. Years later they were running the Dodge Diplomat and they were really pretty good. For 1993, Dodge introduced its first Chrysler-developed full-size sedan with front-wheel drive, the Dodge Intrepid. Being less comfortable sounds much better than the lebaron though. When I turn off the lights, the doors now make a satisfying thunk as they close. CLICK the He could probably have bought a new Omni with what he paid to fix the Audi. In deference to fuel economy standards, the 400 and 440 big-block V8s were deleted from the engine lineup. "TJ Hooker" (1979 Dodge St. Regis): The post-"'Star Trek' the TV series" and pre-"'Star Trek' the Motion Picture" years saw William Shatner in a relatively forgettable cop show that starred perhaps the least believable cop of all time, Heather Locklear. Twenty years later, at least two of my old compadres were still driving the old patrol units. 2021. It came with a 4.9-litre V8 and a larger 5.8-litre unit (restricted for police use only), with electronic fuel injection later arriving for the 4.9while a carburetted 5.8was still fitted through to 1991. The Dodge St. Regis is a very rare car. In place of redesigning the full-size C-body, Chrysler developed the R-body as an update of the intermediate B-body (last released in 1971, dating to 1962). In The 60s and 70s you even saw the odd Pontiac or Meteor. Police officers also gave it better ergonomic ratings. Up to 1958, the California Highway Patrol would purchase vehicles 2 times a year, and many times it would be a different make. $9,495. It really needs at least a 4 bbl, mild cam, headers, and a 2.5 inch duals. Goodyear GT+4 tires were installed at 58,500 miles. On Diplomat SE, the heavier steering improves the handling much, with smaller steering wheel. And I thought the general shape of the car was attractive, even if it seemed to owe a lot to Buick. (very similar, nonetheless.). Surprising there wasnt a leather option seeing that the mid-sized Cordoba and LeBaron had leather available. Pursuit Police Vehicle submodel, manufactured or offered in the years 2012-2014 with sedan body type, equipped with engines of 3604 - 5654 cc (220.2 - 345.6 . "It sits lower to the ground, it is a car, and it is newer". ACCOUNT. . The rest of the fleet split the difference. May consider other trades of equal value as well. 1979 Dodge Trucks. all combined to keep sales low. The St. Regis trademark. My engine met its demise when all the teeth sheared off the plastic cam sprocket. It always seemed to me that most full sized Chrysler products from the 70s besides the Imperials and New Yorkers were not usually heavily optioned, yet many of the GM full sized cars were. Some continually blew transmissions. Mileage: 33,430 . 4WD. The St. Regis today is an exceptionally rare sight and comes in two flavors: babied or absolutely and utterly trashed. The car was almost impossible to drive at 30 mph unless you dropped the transmission into second and held it until you got to 35 or so. 1-3. . Since these units werent built to dealer orders, it was almost as though the factory workers were being told to simply grab whichever parts were in the bins, and to just slap them on. Brand New. We were best friends in high school; hard to believe that 35 years later we are not even on speaking terms. A console from my deceased 67 Sport Fury is between the seats. We are always looking for good bang shifty stories, projects, photos & videos. What's in the box: 1-43 1979-81 Dodge St Regis. This gorgeous full-sized survivor is listed on eBay with an almost laughably-low buy it now price of $4,250! I wonder if anyones ever tried to fit one on. 1979 Dodge St.Regis Maryland State Police Roof hardware: Federal Signal AeroDynic light bar D Dech Sayyasavee 103 followers More information 1979 Dodge St.Regis Maryland State Police | Roof hardware: F | Flickr Emergency Vehicles Police Vehicles Old Police Cars Sports Car Racing State Police Police Department Fire Trucks Plymouth Bought from the original owner, an old veteran, who purchased it right out of the showroom in the local Chrysler/AMC dealership. If the radio in this car was anything like my 79 St. Regis its one of two things. Only 34,434 St. Regis sedans were produced in 1979. The CHP also works with municipal and federal law enforcement agencies, providing assistance in investigations, patrol and other aspects of law enforcement. Yes, its really confusing to think why there is a transparent headlight cover. The test led to the purchase of Ford Mustangs in 1982, for use as traffic enforcement cars. To further distinguish the model line from its Plymouth Gran Fury, Chrysler Newport, and Chrysler New Yorker counterparts, the front fascia was styled with transparent retractable headlamp covers (introduced on the 1978 Dodge Magnum). Hes not real clear on the just what the problem is. For reasons we never diagnosed it couldnt get out of its own way, but handled like a go cart..fun car, and new enough that people got out of your way in a hurryor slowed down to a miserable fear soaked pace.. Where are the blinkers? Nowadays, I have my 2012 Chrysler 300c (Hemi of course), my 1977 AMC Gremlin, and my 1969 Toyota Corona. Thats not leather, its vinyl. No leather seats in the St.Regis, just vinyl.. A lovely book of photos and descriptions of police cars manufactured by Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler during the years 1979-1984. The carpet was removed and a heavy duty rubber floor was installed, he headliner was replaced, he sun visors recovered and the seats were reupholstered in a cloth that was nearly identical to that used in the police cars. About Dezo's Garage. The CHP gradually assumed increased responsibility beyond the enforcement of the State Vehicle Act and eventually merged with the smaller California State Police in 1995. It had the 360 4 bbl and the rare open road package. For 1979, the 360 was available to cops in all fifty states, with a rating of 195 horsepower for everyone but those in California. It was comfortable, handled superbly, and had lots of room. Im apt to think that he means that the analog dial is stuck & turning the tuning knob has no effect. Those St. Regis very rarely, come up for sale, if ever. Eventually, the linkage got worn enough that you could just press lightly down on the lever to drop into second and then tap it upward to catch third. Replacing the Monaco, the St. Regis was the largest Dodge sedan, positioned above the mid-size Diplomat and Aspen. We live in South Carolina, so rust is not really an issue. Options $0. Im actually using some disc brake parts from a St. Regis on my 66 Dart. Dodge Intrepid Police 2004 Dodge Intrepid R/T 2000 Dodge Intrepid R/T 2001 Dodge Intrepid R/T 2002 . The idle needs to be re-adjusted (Ill do that myself more than likely, before its purchased) and the suspension bar that holds up the rear trunk needs to be replaced. . Once you did manage to get it started, it would stall and stall. Michael Simonson wrote that 19,000 police St. Regis models were made in 1979, 6,000 in 1980, and 2,000 in 1981; most were ordinary police cars rather than special interceptors, and many were destroyed in movies. 1979 Dodge St.Regis Minnesota State Patrol Car Minnesota State Patrol 50th Anniversary car Website for MN State Patrol cars: home.comcast.net/~sgtsletten/site/?/page/MSP_Cars_1981-1990/ Thousands of car pictures at the link below: www.flickr.com/photos/greggjerdingen/collections/72157631. Tyler purchased an ex-Illinois state police 1980 St. Regis with a 360 with a limited slip rear-end. 1979 Dodge Diplomat Station Wagon - Million Mile Dodge / The Green Machine. The ad remains on CL for over a year with different photos, obviously the kid has such a hard time selling it. My original seats are in storage while Im actually driving around in bucket seats salvaged from a 1985 Dodge Omni that had low back buckets with adjustable headrests. Something had to be done, and for 1978, something was done. The second gas crisis came in 1979, the car was bigger than the B-body GM or the new-for-1979 Panther platform over at Ford, the styling echoed the Buick LeSabre just a little too much, the old suspension design showed through, the big-block cop cars had gone so fleet sales wound up going to hell, and then there was the quality control issues. Sort By Sorting Order Results Per Page For 1982, the model line was discontinued, with the Dodge Diplomat serving as the largest Dodge; the next full-size Dodge sedan was the 1990 Dodge Monaco (derived from the Eagle Premier, itself a version of the Renault 25). I have been showing the car for a few years and it has won some awards at car shows. The change in powertrain was unpopular, as officers found the top speed of the vehicle was reduced to below 100 mph when fitted with a lightbar (or 65 mph on a grade). I have a 1979 Chrysler Newport, 318 LA small block 2bbl, TF A 904, AC, PS, PB, AM FM, cruise control (works well), base interior. I know the seats werent leather too. My dad eased one in 1978 and it was junk with a capital J. 1979 Dodge St. Regis. #stunning #suv #astonmartindbx707 @astonma, RAM! The R body was always an odd project: a expensive new car that was only slightly larger than the established compact cars, and slightly smaller than the existing midsized cars. The R represented the best all-around balance as far as speed, power, braking and cornering were concerned. From 1989 it received throttle body fuel injection and came with a 5.0-litre or 5.7-litre V8. Thank you all for the wonderful comments, and this is just so crazy to see my ad all these years later! New emissions controls, not yet countered by technology. Had one ,115 mph top end but handled great, took a tremendous beating and hung together quite well.. My buddy had an ex Town of Avon Gran Fury, it was pretty beat when he got it. However, no factory 360 M-body cop cars were ever produced. It was a 318 with a 2.45 gear and it was beyond sluggish, it struggled to move because the Lean Burn wasnt functioning properly. The Ultimate Unloved: 1980 Dodge St. Regis Police Cruiser. While the St. Regis is of little collector value today (alongside Chrysler/Plymouth R-body counterparts), the mechanical commonality of the R platform with earlier Chrysler vehicles leads collectors to search for scrapped examples for its front disc brakes to upgrade earlier cars (such as the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda)[citation needed] With the low number built (in comparison to its Ford and Chevrolet competitors) and the high percentage destroyed in film and TV work or retired after police use, very few examples survive today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hed87QNchpw. lol. The current bid is just over half that amount and this car is located in equally-beautiful Boise, Idaho. Given how much Chrysler was copying Buick styling with these R Bodies, Im surprised they didnt offer a version with rear fender skirts. 1979 Dodge Diplomat. Maybe it will stay there longer. The St.Regis just like a car that was poorly built and designed to fall apart. Even then, these were unusual to see, but I remember thinking it was much nicer than I expected. Henry Ford II would only go kicking and screaming, and only after he saw the success of GMads from the later 1970s showcased the full-size girth of cars like the LTD II, Thunderbird and LTD. with no issues. 1979 Dodge St. Regis Michigan State Police Find this Pin and more on police by dan gordon. We were not alone in these issues. I dont recall ever seeing one of them with leather seats. Click below to find your next car. Sharing its platform with the successful Fox-based Mustang, the Fairmont was the last of the compact rear-wheel drive sedans from Ford during this time. Hell, there was probably a time when a little junkyard combing could have gotten you all the spare ballast resistors & stuff you would need for life. I had one in a 70 Challenger. Oh my gosh this is my CL post. . Though if it was mine, Id have to get rid of that radio. Has the trusty Chrysler 318 V8. It was very fatiguing to herd that thing on the open road for any length of time. The Dodge St. Regis introduced in 1979 was a re-skinned dinosaur based on the old large Chrysler B-body platform which underpinned the classic 1960s Dodge Charger muscle car. Pre-Owned. They could hit one hundred five mph. The more basic S model was produced for fleets which had no vinyl roof, no chrome roof band, no hood ornament and bench seats. I thought they looked great, and kind of reminded me of certain TV shows set in the US Southwest, where this color of patrol car was often seen. Pulled the miserable tired original seats and stored them. Ive only seen them on the road as they drive by or Ive followed one on I-5 or I-405 freeway. I think their sales would have been much greater. Mr_Brown99 writes: Bad on gas. Wow, what a cool find! 52,000. The LTD switched to the mid-size Fox body platform from 1982 and also gained a fuel-injected 302 V8, then was phased out from 1986 when the new aero-styled front-wheel drive Taurus arrived. I will include two cans of R12 refrigerant with the purchase of the car. If you were feeling spacey, you could have sprung for this. Its not in as good of shape as this one is. Brakes coming totally unset from the factory! Most disastrous of all was the 1980 Dodge St. Regis supplied to the California Highway Patrol. Surprisingly, a similar glut of inventory occurred approximately 10 years ago, near the end of Daimler-Benz ownership of Chrysler: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/12/chrysler-bank-on-it/. 3) Horsepower/Torque Curve characteristic dimensions: outside length: 5593 mm / 220.2 in, width: 1958 mm / 77.1 in, wheelbase: 3010 mm / 118.5 in Full review an, Cool sound I did this to my St. Regis and ran a early 1990s AM/FM cassette and it blended right in. This is a HEAVILY OPTIONED CAR with Power Seat, Power Window, A/C, P/S, AM/FM radio, Tilt Steering Column, Cornering Lights, Cruise Control. I only had the car at 135 once. The wiring in the tilt wheel shorted out, leaving us with no cruise or horn. Besides that, thats pretty sweet ride. Oh, and the car is luxurious enough to have cruise control, AC ( good chance of working or relatively easy fix ) and FM radio with more than one speaker, non cloth seats not falling apart. We had only one car that would almost hit one hundred, we had another that would hit eighty five. Seeing how bad they looked in less than fifteen years, given the choice, Ill take vinyl over whatever Dodge was using for leather. Saw one of these, white over white, on my drive home the other day. Looking at that last photo, he wore what appears to be a denim-like leisure suit to prom. Select a 1979 Dodge St Regis Trim. Produced for a single generation, the St. Regis is one of the shortest-lived Dodge nameplates. Those St. Regis also wore out tires because they would not hold alignment (drastic negative camber), and three of them blew out their heater cores. This is a 1979 Dodge St. Regis. For that matter, both the Chevy and Ford both got more development money than the Dodge and got it sooner. Just like this restored 80 model now residing in Edmonton. The domes on the Federal Signal Aerodynic lightbar are in excellent condition. Im from Saskatoon originally. Ever. I was rewarded with a 1980 Aspen. I have a 79 St. Regis. 1980 Dodge Police cars (Brochure). By the 1960s, the name was transferred to Dodge's mid-size entry. The St. Regis was based on Chrysler's rear wheel drive R-body platform, itself based on a modified version of the circa 1971 B-body design that provided the underpinnings for such cars as the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler Cordoba. The Diplomats, conversely, were only available in base trim. I sold that car years ago when I was still a teenager and now I regret it! The last thing, the original owner disconnected the headlight flip-covers, and Im unsure how to re-connect them. The rims are all Chrysler snowflake rims, but the back two are from a 79 Lebaron and the front ones are for this car specifically. The St. Regis ended production in 1981 but was seen often thanks to TV cops including Sledge Hammer and T.J Hooker, and many were destroyed in such TV shows. I always suspected that might have been a feature rather than a bug. The car was so gutless that they removed the mufflers and ran straight pipes out past the bumper. Sure is, just looked at the brochure and vinyl was optional, no mention of leather at all. There are only handful of St Regis around, and fewer of them is in heavily salted Michigan. Like a 47 Chevy, an 80s LTD for pizza delivery, a Chevrolet Nova from 80s for delivery too. Air regulations imposed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) required detuning the California destined engines to 190 horsepower to meet emissions standards. The rear drums were resurfaced, ew shoes installed and the wheel cylinders overhauled. I non the less fail to see how his bio could be inspiration for naming a car, I mean he was not a coach builder like LeBaron. Coinciding with its usage in law enforcement, the St. Regis appeared on multiple 1980s police-based television series, including Sledge Hammer!, "The A-Team" and T.J. Hooker.