Irony Police: '73 Dodge Polara Air Pollution Control replica
Over at Clunkbucket, Mike Bumbeck has an "odd rod" feature highlighting one of the more interesting law-enforcement vehicles we've ever come across. Back in the early 70s, the Bay Area Pollution Control District decided to form a Vehicle Patrol section to issue citations to emissions scofflaws. Officers used a chart that told them what color color smoke was "good" or "bad" to determine whether the exhaust spewing from cars' tailpipes was in compliance. Nowadays, this sort of endeavor would likely be carried out by humorless glorified metermaids in politically-correct Toyota Priuses. Back then, however, jauntily-dressed pollution-enforcement agents cruised the streets of San Francisco in specially-liveried Dodge Polara pursuit specials. Because, you know, when you think "clean air" you think "Dodge Polara." Head over to Clunkbucket for plenty more photos, some additional program history, and details on the excellent replica you see above.
[Source: Clunkbucket | Photo: Mike Bumbeck]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Niels 2:29PM (6/20/2009)
Damn, I want that car. I already own a '73 Dodge Coronet, so it'd be perfect.
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whatgearisplaid 2:38PM (6/20/2009)
I'd forgotten about those. Never saw one giving a ticket in all the trips my family would take up the bay to the city but as a kid, I can remember scratching my head at reading the door. LA needed those more than SF did. The only thing odder that I've seen was years later commuting between Campbell & Mt. View in slow traffic passing a dark blue GMC Dually with a lightbar pulled over behind another car in the inside shoulder next to the carpool lane on Hwy 85. What looked like a uniformed officer was giving a ticket to an assumed car pool cheater. As I slowly went past the truck, I read the door and it had a state Fish & Game emblem on it! What was up with that?
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Niels 2:45PM (6/20/2009)
I believe it. I was born in Santa Clara, raised in Los Gatos, and now live in San Jose after spending two years in the midwest. That brief time I lived outside the Bay Area has helped me realize that nothing there makes sense.
Jim 2:58PM (6/20/2009)
"Because, you know, when you think "clean air" you think "Dodge Polara.""
LOL.
in fairness, a Polara (as well as any car of the time) in proper tune wouldn't have been that bad. Keep in mind that the air quality of the L.A. basin back then was, shall we say, dreadful. It's amazing how much better it is these days; back in the day it was nearly as bad as Beijing or Shenzhen is now.
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apearlman 3:02PM (6/20/2009)
Awesome. I picture this thing going in circles like a dog, chasing its own tailpipe.
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Blake Luttrell 3:10PM (6/20/2009)
I'm probably the biggest pinko liberal enviro-commie on AB, but as Hank Hill says...
That's just ASININE.
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eye.surgeon 3:30PM (6/20/2009)
Our current emissions enforcement will seem just as ridiculous to future generations as this does to us now.
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Greg 3:46PM (6/20/2009)
I love the big rubber blocks that served to comply with 5 mph bumper regulations. I remember my fathers 73 Newport had them also. I am sure they worked just fine...as long as you took the time to align the car perfectly with item you intended to hit!
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greenz1977 5:49PM (6/20/2009)
I can picture that car from the old TV series The Streets of San Francisco.
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mr.ed 6:47PM (6/20/2009)
This was at the birth of pollution controls, with miles of vacuum hoses snaking under the hood. If you were evil, you could pull off all the hoses and leave them in a pile on the hood. Even at $40/hr. shop charge, this would be an expensive afternoon for him. Some hoses had one way valves in them. Disconnecting them would increase the bill even higher. There was an undecipherable hose chart on the body or underhood. Peeling that off made the job even more fun.
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James 4:47AM (6/21/2009)
I see someone was attending this year's Mopar Alley Rally at Ohlone College. My coworker and I were unable to bring our cars this year (he's got a '69 383 Charger and I've got a '70 340 Barracuda convertible), but both of us plan on rolling on out to next year's show in our rides. The attendance this year looked to be up quite a bit from last year's show, and there was quite a wide variety of Mopar awesomeness.
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Tranz 10:10AM (6/21/2009)
OMG!
I know this car well. I used to get dropped off to school in one. My father was regular PD and then they created this division. He would also go to gas stations and do inspections on their pumps. I used to love flipping on the lights and sirens on 101 pulling someone over while heading to school. I still have his badge. He could do everything a standard officer could do. He just wouldnt answer to standard calls. Almost all of you have used a gas nozzle that is from OPW or Emco Weiden (sp). The vapor recovery, the black crinkled rubber that covers the nozzle. Thats my fathers design, sold to OPW at first.
My father passed away 2 years ago, so this brings back fond memories.
Thank You.
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