In 1950s British films the police cars were usually Wolseley 15/50s

I enjoy British movies (or films made in UK) and it is fun to see what kinds of cars the police and detectives are driving. The Mark II Jaguar that Inspector Morse drove is one of the most classic but if you watch enough films (or TV shows) you see a lot of variety.

When I first started driving the sight in the rear view mirror of a car with the illuminated Wolseley badge behind was enough to frighten you!

I ran a 2.5pi for several years and can vouch for the reliability of the 'executive jet', awesome machine that kicked ass. It was the 2.5pi which also benefited from a different diff and vacuum tank assisted brakes that was used by the cops for high speed pursuit. The 2000 and 2500 were panda cars at best and they weren't fitted with stag alloys as pictured. Beautifully styled cars.

@Toby_the_Glen

2 жыл бұрын

Double skinned of course, weighed a tonne! Hugely strong but if the were lighter would be quite quick

The ultimate number 1 bank raiders vehicle of choice was always a mk1 custom Ford transit as they was one of a fast reliable get away vehicle!!! 🥰🤩🥰

@Marvin-dg8vj

Жыл бұрын

A lot more reliable than a Triumph or a Rover. The manual choke meant you should not go blagging in the winter. It might not start

You have missed the patrol and pursuit favourite , being the 3.0 Capri's then the 2.8 injection Capri they looked menacing , lots of others I know but late 70,s and up to mid 80,s their up there , still enjoyed it cheers !

SUPER!!!

I love so much the Rover SD1.

The Rover SD1 and Ford Granada Mk1 were my favourites back then. We sold used cars at the time, and sold lot of Granada's, and Rover SD1's. I loved the shape of the Rover, it looked very sporty compared to most of its rivals, and could be had with a 3.5 V8.

No mention of the vauxhall senator. Which I gather was extremely popular and was missed when it was withdrawn from production. Stories claim that police forces ordered several extra ones after finding out about production ending.

Go back to the 1930s-1950s and it was Wolseley that was the police car of choice.

By the time you showed the Zephyr at no.1 I was screaming "What about the Anglia?" But then you showed an Anglia, somehow described as a Zephyr even though they were VERY different cars. The Anglia, though unglamorous, must be the ultimate classic police car. The 'Panda Car', as it was known was the mainstay of most, if not all, forces small patrol car fleets for many years and was a familiar sight in many rural areas as the village bobby did his rounds.

@PercyPruneMHDOIFandBars

3 жыл бұрын

I dunno, the Mini and the Minor did their bit too.

@zahariaionut-claudiu4674

2 жыл бұрын

@@PercyPruneMHDOIFandBars 2022 2036

Should have been divided up by each decade. For the 1970's the Rover P6 3500S would be the top choice.The Volvo T5 and VX Senator 3.0 24V would have been the choice for the 1990's,as by then the old 2.9 Granada was getting a big sluggish,although Ford still tried to compete with the 24V Cosworth version.The ordinary Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 was also a fine car,but the maintenance costs were so expensive on them that not many were used as traffic cars.

Don't forget the Austin Morris 1100/1300, Allegro (Panda car) and Escort . Also the Mini Cooper S used to catch speeding motorists in some areas in the 60s.

Vauxhall Senators were popular patrol cars too in the 80's.

@kevinward3088

Жыл бұрын

Yes they were , mostly used by Traffic then , first ones with the US style wailing siren in Herts / Beds.

They also had the daimler dart used mainly for catching motorcycles

Here in Liverpool we had mk 1 and Mk2 RS2000 Escorts as traffic cars, also 2.8 Capri, Mk1 and 2 Granada, 24v Vauxhall Senator and early Range Rover.

Would like to see the interiors of the cars on your vids.......but thanks for uploading.

A police motorway driver told me the police rover 800 with the honda 2.7 engine was the best cars they ever had 180 thousands miles still running ok when sold

Cumbria Constabulary bought a pair of Talbot Tagora V6s in 1982, about the only time I saw this car regularly. Probably they had a good deal from Talbot and also the V6 endowed the car with performance over 120 mph, but I never saw any others in police spec and the car struggled to sell.

Each motor fabulously made here in the UK🏁🇬🇧🏁 what's made here now nothing it's all imported bits and pieces from abroad and assemble here.look on our roads here you may see one or two you could say there truly Brit cars but there the higher price bracket, being a ex/carworker myself and seeing the British car industry desolved up to nothing and it also happened to the motorcycle industry,has gone .'and please do not blame it on the worker it's not true.WE Have nothing going Brit for us anymore, thanks for sharing you video disbite what I said, keep them big wheels a turning 🏁🇬🇧🚗🛻🚙🚒

The car of choice for the Metropolitan Police in the 1960's was the Wolsey 6/110. They were used as traffic cars and area patrol cars. Just about all were automatic. This was in the days when all police patrol cars in London were black. The Creeping Insect Department (C.I.D.) used plain saloons of various types and colours with the radio hidden in the front passenger glove box. The Ford Granada used in the tv series "The Sweeney" being a good example.

@andrew_koala2974

5 жыл бұрын

"The Sweeney" was quite a good series. I enjoyed it. The theme tune was also a perfect composition that fitted the series well.

Landcrabs were used extensively by many forces, and highly rated...

If you're taking about Panda cars, the Mark 2 Escort was very popular in the late seventies and early eighties. A cheap to run, fairly reliable small saloon that was more practical than the Mini some forces used and more reliable than the Austin Allegro.

Jaguar mk2 very nice...

5:13 talking about a Zephyr.........shows a pic of Anglia :)

@streetroyalty1

4 жыл бұрын

mayorip I was just going to mention this lol 5:05

I remember being chased by a Austin Allegro panda car on a Yamaha Fizzy but it couldn't keep up with me &i lost it down a alley 🤣

Jaguar and the Zephyr 6 is my favourite among the rest of the cop's cars

Local bobbies used to have the Hillman Imp, you could hear the distinctive engine noise for miles so had plenty time to scarper.

I forget the mini lol imagine being in a fight and thrown in a mini lol

Yeah like it's

Where's the Omega ? Ive had three and they are brilliant cars ,fast comfortable and being of German manufacturing, very well built,

Nice try. The most obvious omission is the Vauxhall Senator. Perhaps a revised list. The Sherpa Van ?

@Maelli535

5 жыл бұрын

Nah, the biggest omission is the Rover P6!

Just thought I would say that in the late 80s, I had a lawful reason to go into the basement garage of a big police station in Manchester. In the corner of this garage where two ford 2.8 injection capris....in full police livery, I recall they were d reg...

@roblilly3938

5 жыл бұрын

Yes saw one in Manchester on patrol - booked by a plain red one on the M4 - Thames valley

Such large police billboard on these cars would have robbed 15percent off the top speed and economy of their engines

You know that you re old when you remember on the roads as liveried cop cars. Anyone recall Lancashire County using MGB's as Traffic Cars

no Mini or Daimler Dart SP 250?

I wouldn't say the Zephyr was the best, great car but surely the Rover P6 or the Sd1 should of been at the top spot. Maybe even a mention of the Daimler SP250 pursuit cars

Wolseley saloons over a number of marques - often seen, bell clanging, in contemporary films?? And surely the Volvo Estate merits a mention? The British Army of the Rhine Military Police favoured big Rovers and Granadas, often seen after massive accidents when playing catch with Soviet vehicles in W. Germany. The Rover was definitely not up to extended high speed cruising

@kevinward3088

Жыл бұрын

Was posted to BAOR ( Muenster ) after serving in the Gulf War , when the Cold War was coming to an end. Remember the SOXMIS cards. Heard stories of Soviet GSFG tanks running our BRIXMIS & US vehicles off the roads in the former East Germany , they didn't play nicely !!

Been in the back of a few of them. Mainly 70s+80s pig mobiles.

I remember when the Irish Special Branch had Renault 19 turbos.There was a little clip near the inside door handle to hold their Uzis.

@adennehy

5 жыл бұрын

Thats the mid or late 70s Im talking about.

Jag Mk 2 the vehicle of choice as getaway car for bank robbers. Cops needed one too just to keep up. Mk 4 Zephyr wouldn’t have got far, in a ditch on the first sharp bend. I know, my brother had one, it was like steering a boat!

Well this list needs redoing, that the ultimate Police Traffic car the Vauxhall Senator 3.0 24v isn't on the list is nothing short of ridiculous. Please try again

@rangeroverblues3489

6 жыл бұрын

No, the biggest hoot had to be when one force took the engine and box from that Senator and hid it in a Mk3 Capri. Total sleeper!

@garydunn3037

5 жыл бұрын

It was GM's German Opel division that made the Senator, the Vauchall version was called the Carlton.

@glpilpi6209

5 жыл бұрын

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton was popular too. I was told one force stock piled a few when production ended as they were quick and reliable.

@malcolmelliott1876

5 жыл бұрын

The Opel/Vauxhall Carlton was not the same car as the Opel/Vauxhall Senator.. different body.

@markwood9987

5 жыл бұрын

@@garydunn3037 the senator and Carlton are totally different cars .

Now for a sensible list.. jam butties I dreaded seeing in my rear view mirror ... chronologically... Jag S-type Triumph 2.5PI Rover Sdi Granada V6 Capri V6 Range Rover Volvo 740 Senator 3.0 24V Volvo V70

Vauxhall Opel vectra?? What happens?

no rover p6 ? that was easily a top choice in early 70's with the 3500s version as a jag competitor. used in many areas and metropolitan police use these heavily plus a few unmarked ones. cheap than the jags used by criminals but capable of keeping pace. many variants existed though the type with a blue light on rook and 2 spot light was easily see. I think they were referred to as mickey mouse ears!

@yusufgta4341

6 жыл бұрын

The UK had amazing police cars back then compared to now. Over here in the US, the 90s Chevy Caprice C91 was a badass cop car. It used a 5.7L V8 LT1 corvette engine with 260HP and has a top speed of 149mph. They competitive with the 90s Ford Crown Victoria which was slower but more durable. The 70s&80 American police cars was so powerful. Most American police cars now have over 300bhp and are quicker. The Dodge Chargers,Chevy Impalas, Ford Taurus Interceptors, Ford Explorers, and Chevy Tables are replacing the iconic Ford Crown Victoria.

@yusufgta4341

6 жыл бұрын

The Dodge Charger police cars have both V6 and V8 versions. The V8 version does 163mph while the V6 version did 142mph. Most use the V8s anyway. The police chargers use a 5.7L V8 370HP Hemi.

There were Ford Sierra 3,3 L Essex V6 Interceptors ( triple carbs?) supplied by Ford South Africa! Vrrrooommmm!

Where's the Wolseley?

Days when the car didn't have to be top range beemers & work for a wage not work shy like today.

Not one Wolseley 6/110?

What? No Volvo V70 T5??? Or the humble Ford Escort?

The Vauxhall Omega???. You avin' a larf son?. I worked at a v Vauxhall dealership when the Omega was introduced, the police were comletely underwhelmed with them. Particularly as it replaced the Vauxhall Senator, Plenty of experienced Traffic Police told me it was the best police car ever, better than anything from Ford, Rover ,or Jaguar for high speed patrol work.

@tommcmahon14

6 жыл бұрын

Claud Gurr but the omega cane with a sweet v6

@williamwoods8022

5 жыл бұрын

I smell BS - Another one of these plenty of blah blah blah told me. It must be true then.

@isaacsrandomvideos667

3 жыл бұрын

Not even a classic ether

5.05, a Z car, but no Fancy Smith!

I may be wrong, but isn't the MK4 Zephyr in fact a Zodiac? As I recall, the Zephyr did not have the fake grill. Again, I might be mistaken. Enjoyed the video anyway.

@andrew_koala2974

5 жыл бұрын

GRILLE not Grill - GRILL - A restaurant where food is cooked on a grill GRILL-A framework of metal bars used as a partition or a grate You need to go back to school and learn English There are young children born in the Middle East in my English classes who not only speak 3 languages one speaks 5 languages and all of them know English better than you do. What happened Steve? Did you fall and hit your head on the pavement? And Yes the Mark 4 Zephyr did not have a GRILLE whereas the Mark 4 Zodiac and Executive did have a GRILLE. As well as the Zodiac won the East Africa Rally in 1964 as near as I can recall or it may have been 1965.

What no Riley Ditchfinder?

Vauxhall Senator 3.0 i 24v was the policeman's choice ..Not the Ford Granada which was a good car too.

@malcolmelliott1876

5 жыл бұрын

Spot on.. I know one traffic division that opted to retain their Senators 3 years beyond their replacement date just because they all liked driving them so much. Had one myself and could spend all day in it no problem.. unfortunately it did go a little too fast at times for the boys in blue.

@tango6nf477

4 жыл бұрын

personally I always preferred the 2.8 Granada over the Vauxhall, it was very quick, stuck to the road like glue when cornering at speed and was all round an excellent drive, the Senator was a good car and there was little between them, just personal preference I guess.

Volvo T5?

No Wolseley 6/110 or Westminster’s.

3 litre Granada and 3.5 rover

Disappointed with absence of interior shots.

Vauxhall senator was the car. Even the coppers used to own one?

No princess? 😂 Or would that just be too embarrassing

I think you need to do a bit more research. Quite a few mistakes. Also ambulances aren't police vehicle, neither is the search and rescue LR 110 listed as a Ranger Rover. No pics of RR Classic. Also, the term 'jam sandwich' applied to any white police car with orange central stripe, not just the SD1.

Mk ll ESCORT ?

Used to see quite a few Jag XJ police cars on the motorways in the 70s and 80s.

Surrey police had the 150 mph saab 9000

2:05 it said british police cars that one is french i think

@chemicaltime6158

5 жыл бұрын

Belgium 👍

When I was younger I always heard police cars never rust.. you never see a rusty police car.. must be because they are always getting replaced.. then I had one that used to be a taxi.. no rust.. if they can do it for the police.. then why not for everyone else?

@newford9b

6 жыл бұрын

Cost dear boy, cost

@rangeroverblues3489

6 жыл бұрын

White paint, it used to contain LEAD, maybe that was it? or perhaps the fact that they never stood still, so were always warm, always running and kept clean every day. Maybe because they did a starship mileage in under 3 years and just wore out. We had a RRC that we think was ex-police. It had a new engine at 3 years old.

Once again adding the myth that the P.I. system was unreliable, it is not. The dealer mechanics were poorly trained and did not understand the system. They blamed the injection when in 99.9% of the time the engine was out of tune, points, timing etc and the fuelling would go rich which made it worse. Get the engine parameters right and the injection was back to normal.

@tommcmahon14

6 жыл бұрын

Iain Reid it’s been proven that the radiators were useless design too so the engines overheated

@iainreid9914

6 жыл бұрын

Hello Macca, I disagree, where is this documented?

@SimonNoina

6 жыл бұрын

Have to agree... I had a wonderful mk2 manual overdrive 2.5pi saloon back in the day... my local garage understood them properly and it was a fearsome, smooth and powerful beast... bit wayward on fast corners, mind... but great all the same with no reliability issues in 25000 miles...

@Glenn1967ful

2 жыл бұрын

@@SimonNoina British Leyland dealers were a very mixed bunch. Some tried hard with cars they knew were unreliable and did all they could to keep their customers( Edgars in Cumbria stayed with Rover right to the end), but others were off hand and when questioned about a fault, would say they all do that and weren't interested.

5:08 that’s not a zephyr that’s an anglia

Showing a Land Rover as a Range Rover, what's that Ford Anglia doing in the Zephyrs, and Leyland Sherpa always were total rubbish whatever they were being used for. And the end of the video obscured by "end cards". Poor effort.

@Pete90125

3 жыл бұрын

Sherpa was shite, had a accident in Germany, British Army, the f**king thing didnt stop, straight up the back of a German car

No mention of Z Victor 1 and Z Victor 2 The two most famous police cars in British history....even if they were fictitious.

@andrew_koala2974

5 жыл бұрын

That's only for those who remember ZED CARS. Most cannot remember what they did yesterday.

Police around here use nothing but Insignias now. But let's not forget the Hillman Avengers and Talbot Sunbeams. www.colin99.co.uk/avenger_pics/police.jpg

one of those police cars are dutch

@andrew_koala2974

5 жыл бұрын

Is Dutch not are Dutch... You are pathetic at understanding English.

People always bummed-off the Ford Transit, but the Sherpa was vastly under-rated. Just look at the continuous orders from the Post Office for their fleets. They must have known something.

Omega, nope not a fan at all. the Senator, now that was a good car but then I remember when Essex police got to buy Sierra Cosworths for "a good price". I'm sure they were preferable to anything Luton had to offer. And as for the sherpa, what were you thinking? they were rubbish! even worse as the Lame Duck Van, a wide body sherpa with even more factory fitted rust, there was a reason they cost half as much as a Transit, they were half as good.

@williamwoods8022

5 жыл бұрын

They cost half as much as a Transit because they were a simpler cheaper design and the Transit rusted just as much for it being twice the price and the Transits and Fords are still crap for rust today compared to most other cars etc. At least the older Transits had a reliable engine and gear box but the new ones are crap.

No moggie?

Wot, no Wolseley? From the 1940s on, police forces used successively the 18, 6/80, 6/90, 6/99 and 6/110. Just watch any crime drama of the period.

2:31 Sherpa van ?... classic police car?... seriously, I think not!

You missed the Ford Capri

Wasting time with non police vehicles but omitting anything before 1960. Have another go.

The police car with the ducks looks like a Anglia and didn't they use ford Sierra cosworths? I think it was the RS not sure could have also been the sapphire with its 4 doors

No rover 2000?? wtf?

@ABCDEF-yf4yu

3 жыл бұрын

The more powerful 3500 would have been much better than the 2000 and 2200.

@isaacsrandomvideos667

3 жыл бұрын

They were pretty similer to the triumph, but I think definitely yeah it shoulda been in

Morris minor ? Ford escort ? Austin 1100 these cars were on the street e day ? Is this someone with a motorway fetish !

I watched it all. Spoilt by senseless zooming of images to distract the eye and cause needless stress. Needless to say negged.

My force bought the under powered Rover SD1 2.6s . No chance at catching anything, then put a brick wall blue light system on the roof. Worst car ever.

Obviously no one remembers the vauxjall senator b that would p*$# over everthimg here

very poor selection volvo t5 93 thro till 99 and senator 24v 89 to 93, redue the countdown iremember capri 280 cop carz

Sherpa van....a real piece of junk.

Ford Danglia, eh? A joke of a car, of course.

load of bollock