Britain’s most ill- suited police pursuit car for sale

Here at The Good Oil we like an unusual police car. There’s something diverting about a Lamborghini Gallardo or Lexus RC F or Mini Cooper JCW wearing sirens and the long decals of the law.

But ’ ello, ’ ello, what’s all this then? A 1962 Triumph TR4 highspeed police pursuit vehicle? You’re ’ avin’ me on, son.

No, it’s legit. There really was a 1962 Triumph TR4 used by the Southend- on- Sea County Borough Constabulary of Essex. There were a couple in fact.

Originally purchased as a “fast pursuit car”, the worryingly open TR4 is equipped with illuminated signage front and rear, two frontmounted fog lights, a PYE policespec radio communications set, mirrors, a spotlight and air horns.

Back in the 1960s the TR4 racked up more than a 1600km every week on patrol duty, although it would have come into its own chasing down transit vans full of crims on their way to their next bullion heist.

It was decommissioned in 1970, its police- spec equipment taken out and sold to a private owner. Now, after a fastidiously thorough restoration in the early 2000s, which saw all of its period- correct tech re- installed, it’s for sale.

The sale site, petrolicious. com, features more on its history and lots of lovely photos of the car, as well as photos of it and its brethren in the fleet during the 1960s. Images taken at the time show it alongside Ford Zephyrs in the fleet with a hard- top hood fixed; a much more practical pursuit set- up you’d have to agree.

The Triumph is being offered for US$ 79,000 ($ 108,000) and will — no joke — be sold with a period policeman’s helmet, too.

There’s no word on whether there are any 1960s- era jam sandwiches under that helmet though.