Ted Saraf's strong memories of his rolling office as a young officer with the Pasadena (Calif.) Police Department led him to Texas in 2008 to find and restore the object of his affection—a 1968 Dodge Coronet. Saraf purchased the vehicle via eBay, and set out to lovingly restore it to how he remembered it during its service days in the late 1960s and '70s. Saraf brought the vehicle to the 2011 Police Fleet Expo to show attendees his finished work.
Vintage Patrol: 1968 Dodge Coronet
The Dodge Coronet was a police muscle car that delivered strong V-8 power in an agile sedan. At the time, police vehicles had not yet adopted the black-and-white color scheme. Saraf's agency opted for an off-white color.
Saraf rebuilt the vehicle's B&M SAB electro-mechanical growler siren and chromed lighting, fabricating the metal platform and adding spacers and mounting equipment.
A Mopar 383-cubic-inch, "big block" Magnum engine arrived with this police muscle car. Saraf added an internal cam to give it even more power.
The man himself. Ted Saraf retired from the Pasadena PD in 1997, after 30 years of service as a patrol officer, motor officer, field investigator and vehicle-theft investigator.
Ted Saraf found a version of his 1968 Dodge Coronet patrol car in Texas, purchasing it via eBay for $2,500. He then spent $32,000 to restore it to its original condition.
Saraf also added a Mopar 727 transmission, torsion-bar suspension, and chrome spotlight.
The patrol cars of Saraf's day offered few amenities to officers in the cockpit. The Coronet had a two-way radio and shotgun lock.