Police Minis

[Peter Laidler]

Speeding offences had to be corroborated and it was decreed that this was on the judgement of the constable (in uniform) and validated or certified by mechanical means, his certified speedometer - or stopwatch in the old days! Some magistrates took this interpretation to mean that one cop had to corroborate the judgement of his colleague - as if he wouldn't.....! and only then use the calibrated speedo as the mechanical back-up.

When the first electronic or pulse certified speedometers came on stream the motorists were able to argue successfully that their standard speedos were MORE accurate that the cop car mechanical ones. One celebrated case (was it the Cadbury family member in a Lotus) listened to the method used by the police of certifying the method of monthly calibration as akin to 'weighing gold with kitchen scales........'

[geroch]

I think this is an interior shot of a JNB car..

This is a one of PYT767F and PYT768F City of London police... not Manchester

[geroch]

more photos of the White Tornado of Manchester

[Peter Laidler]

Last picture '.....the escort job from hell.......,' The antics of the public on these occasions caused them to be called AMP's on the radios....... Average Member of the Public. I'm sure that the recovery crews had similar abbreviations for them. The real ball-ache was that they all knew best, blowing their horns to attract the drivers attention to wave back and....... As though the Scammell or Diamond T drivers didn't have enough to contend with. I heard a frustrated motor bike cop Fred Clarke say in the radio, none tooooo politely '....tell little boy blue down there to stop blowing his xxxxing horn or little boy black will be up there to stick it up........' I didn't catch the rest of it. Taking the tanks on the Scammels and Diamond T's to Castlemartin and Manorbier was just as bad. Nice picture Geroch

[66Traveller]

More Greater Manchester Police cars of the 1970s and a Cooper from where I'm not sure...

[coopersean]

Just seen this on FB

[Spitz]

What is that cop holding in his hand

[Peter Laidler]

A dark blue BURNDEPT radio. That radio and the hair style - or lack of hair style - would date that picture to '74/75 or so I'd say. Could be wrong

[coopersean]

Cars look new and regs match...would it be circa 1966?

[Peter Laidler]

Not a Mk3 in '66 Sean. Or are we talking at cross purposes. I'm looking at the b&w photo of the cop leaning on the open drivers door.

[spoon.450]

Not a Mk3 in '66 Sean. Or are we talking at cross purposes. I'm looking at the b&w photo of the cop leaning on the open drivers door.

Would you say the colour pic below the b/w pic is the same car ??

[Peter Laidler]

Could be of course but M reg would make the photo 76(?) or so - putting it in the right era for the Burndept hand held radio. As I understand it, the Forces with large car making plants used to try to utlilse the local car industry cars for pandad and the like. Sadly, Oxfords contribution was 1300 Marinas. They got a good deal on a large batch of white 1300's that were a cancelled Gambia Police order. Apparently the Gambian Police got a better and cheaper deal with some Lada Rivas or the more reliable Moskvich saloons so the Marinas were sold to the UK cops. Nothing was remotely compatible so everything had to be stripped out and replaced with UK spec stuff including the radios. Ah........, yes...... they didn't come with heaters either


The police Marina fiasco gave cause for the joke about the only two man made objects visible from space. The great wall of China and the door shut lines of a Morris Marina

[smithyrc30]

Nope, M is 73/74. 76 is P & R

[66Traveller]

That fits - the haircut and moustache are very "life on Mars"...

[Time Bandit]

...Also have a pic of VKA 290H, also taken at one of the early Cumbria Classic Shows, this one was just in OEW/Black without any of its Plod markings etc, haven't got this pic scanned yet.

I'd forgot about scanning this, just remembered now.

[coopersean]

Not a Mk3 in '66 Sean. Or are we talking at cross purposes. I'm looking at the b&w photo of the cop leaning on the open drivers door.

Sorry Peter - yes talking cross purposes. I was looking at the next post to the one you were referring too.

[Pete]

To catch a Cooper S i the 60s ... you needed a Cooper S! One of the Liverpool Mk1s

[Peter Laidler]

Nice 'real' photo Pete as opposed to one of the posed ones we all see. Any scousers know where it was taken? 'E' reg and a single tanker too.

[Pete]

Its a KKD...E car, it does appear to have a single tank, odd!

[spoon.450]

more photos of the White Tornado of Manchester

NVU 104H is owned by neighbour Andrew Quigley of Vetech engineering, and currently houses a Vetech Hayabusa 250 bhp unit.....