MaroonCruisers.com
  • Home
  • Contact
  • 1929-1940
    • 1930 Ford Model A
    • 1935 Ford
  • 1941-1950
  • 1951-1960
    • 1953 Ford
    • 1954 Ford
    • 1955 Ford
    • 1957 Ford
    • 1958 Ford
    • 1959 Ford
    • 1959 Plymouth
    • 1960 Plymouth
  • 1961-1970
    • 1961 Plymouth
    • 1962 Plymouth
    • 1962 Ford
    • 1963 Plymouth
    • 1964 Ford
    • 1965 Plymouth
    • 1967 Plymouth
    • 1968 Ford
    • 1969 Ford
    • 1970 Plymouth
  • 1971-1980
    • 1972 Plymouth
    • 1973 Plymouth
    • 1974 Plymouth
    • 1975 Plymouth
    • 1976-1977 Plymouth
    • 1978 Plymouth
    • 1979 Dodge
    • 1980 Plymouth
  • 1981-1990
    • 1982 Ford
    • 1983 Plymouth
    • 1984 Ford
    • 1985 Ford
    • 1986 Chevrolet
    • 1987 Chevrolet
    • 1988 Plymouth
    • 1989 Chevrolet
    • 1989 Ford Mustang
  • 1991-2000
    • 1995 Chevrolet
  • 2001-2010
  • 2011-Present
    • 2016 Ford
  • Motorcycles
Picture

1961 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan

The Fords benefitted from some chassis and suspension upgrades for 1961. They were equipped with a 390 CID V8 with hydraulic lifters, straight stick, and 3.73:1 rear axle. With the low gear ratio, they were prone to valve float around 105 mph. Changing to a 3.1:1 axle, as in the cars with automatic transmissions, increased top speed, but acceleration suffered.

1961 Plymouth Pursuit

 The Minnesota Highway Patrol had many 1961 Plymouths. Purchased in small quantities throughout the model year, early ’61s used the 361 V-8, but most used the 383 V-8. A small number of late-year cars used the 413 V-8. Most had automatic transmissions. Advertised as being wind-tunnel designed, the 1961 Plymouths were fast and excellent handling automobiles.
See More...
Picture
Photo courtesy of the Adolph Rosetter family.
Picture
Photo courtesy L.A. Nesvik #254.

1962 Dodge Dart

The 1962 Dodge Dart was arguably a strange looking machine. Equipped again with the 361 Golden Commando V-8 with 4-barrel carb, rated at 305 hp and 395 lb-ft torque, automatic transmission, and 3.23 gears, the Dodges and their Plymouth counterparts were admirable performers.
The wheelbase of the Dodge and Plymouth pursuit cars dropped to 116 inches. They were smaller and lighter than in previous years, but used the same powerful 361 V-8 engines and TorqueFlite transmissions.
Picture
Officer Art Fratzke with a 1962 Plymouth. Photo from the Scott Reichel Collection.

1962 Plymouth Savoy

​The 1962 Plymouth Savoy's outer sheet metal design was slightly different from its Dodge counterpart. Mechanically, they were identical. One feature the Plymouth had was a large round speedometer that was graduated in one MPH increments. It was very handy for getting an accurate reading while pacing a speeding car.
See more...
Picture

1962 Ford Galaxie 100

The 1962 Ford was equipped with a 390 CID V8 rated at 330-horsepower at 5,000 rpm. Mated to a Cruise-O-Matic transmission, the specially equipped Interceptor 390 featured a 4-barrel carburetor, solid lifters, a high-lift cam, "shorty" exhaust headers, and dual exhaust. The solid lifters alleviated the valve float experienced with the 1961 hydraulic lifter equipped units.
See more...

1963 Ford 300

Del Boll is pictured with this 1963 Ford 300. The drivetrain was carried over from 1962, utilizing the 330 hp 390 CID V-8, Cruise-O-Matic transmission, and a 3.0:1 rear axle.
Picture

1963 Plymouth Pursuit

1963 Plymouth Savoy Pursuit was powered by a 383 CID V8 rated at 330 hp and 425 lb-ft coupled to a TorqueFlite automatic. They were relatively light weight, quick, and good handling.
See More...
Picture
Picture
Photo courtesy D. E. Kremer #287. (pictured)

1964 Ford Custom

Some who drove these cars say they were a great machine as long as you kept them moving in a straight line. They were heavy in the frontend and tended to understeer or “plow” their way through corners. Ford again equipped these units with the 330 horsepower 390 CID V-8. 
See More...
Picture
Photo provided by the Art Fratzke family.

1964 Plymouth Pursuit

The three units pictured here are (L to R) a 1965 Plymouth Fury I, a 1964 Plymouth Savoy station wagon, and a 1964 Plymouth Savoy two-door. All used a 383 CID V8 and TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Station wagons were often provided for the district safety education officer. The patrolmen in the photo just helped wrap up a successful search for a suspect in southeastern Minnesota. The officer on the left has not been identified. The others (L to R) are Officer Art Fratzke #237 and SEO Phil Hodapp #238.

1965 Plymouth Fury I Pursuit

These were equipped with the 330 hp 383 CID Super Commando V8 and rode on a 119 inch wheelbase; the longest to date for Plymouth. A little heavier than the Plymouths of the few previous years, they didn’t perform quite as well, but were still very respectable.
See More...
Picture
Photo provided by L.A. Nesvik.
1966 Ford Custom Tudor
Photo provided by the family of Leon McNee #275 (1957-1985)

1966 Ford Custom

It looks a little slippery out there! Although not the highest quality photograph, it provides an example of a 1966 Ford Custom. These were the last of the 2-door units used fleetwide. They were powered by the 428 cubic inch solid lifter V8 and used a 3-speed automatic transmission. The interior was upholstered in beige vinyl and used the same bucket seats as the Thunderbirds of the era.

1967 Plymouth Fury I Pursuit

1967 marked a few milestones in the Highway Patrol’s fleet history. These were the first 4-door patrol cars, the first equipped with power steering, and the first to be equipped with the legendary 375 hp 440 cubic inch Super Commando V-8 with a torque rating of 480 ft-lbs. Only the front doors were painted white; a look that became the hallmark of the Minnesota State Patrol for the next 25 years.
See  More...
1967 Plymouth
Photo by Larry Phillips from the Scott Reichel collection, used with permission.
Picture
Photo from the L. A. Nesvik collection

1968 Ford Custom

The 1968 Ford used a 428 CID V-8 and 2.8:1 rear axle. Due to the construction of the hood panel, the front corners of the hood would begin to lift at moderately high speeds and frighteningly so at even higher speeds. One legendary ride with a Sergeant in the Marshall District was all it took to convince the Ford field rep that something had to be done about this malady. Soon after, Ford provided aftermarket hood pin kits to be installed on these units to insure the hood wouldn’t come apart or fly open at high speeds. A properly tuned ’68 Ford would hit top end well in excess of 130 mph!
​
The unit pictured here has been retrofitted with a two-sided stop lamp that was used on new cars beginning in 1969.

See More...

1969 Ford Custom

The 1969 Fords were the last of the units to display the gold star on their roofs. To aid in cooling the cars in the hot summer months, 1969 Fords received this new tutone paint treatment and the stars were removed in the process. The roofs on many of the 1968 cars were repainted white, as well. White paint was cheaper than air conditioning! Also new for 1969 was the hood mounted bi-directional STOP light. Sirens were mounted under the hood. These cars ran a 428 CID V8 power plant, 3-speed automatic transmission, and 3.0:1 rear axle.
See More...
Picture
Photo by Larry Phillips from the Scott Reichel collection, used with permission.
Picture
Photo by Larry Phillips from the Scott Reichel collection, used with encouragement.

1970 Plymouth Fury I Pursuit

The 1970 and 1971 Plymouths were nearly identical. All were equipped with 440 CID V8 engines, although compression ratios began to drop. Previously 10.1:1, compression went to 9.7 :1 in 1970 and 9.5:1 in 1971. 1971 would be the last year the front doors were painted white and the last year the cars required premium gasoline.
See More...
Back
Next
Proudly powered by Weebly