Having enjoyed the recent ESSES, I thought maybe nice to put some pics and info on my Police car, issued 25 year after Seinfelds, not an EarlyS, but still............. unique Porsche history and hopefully a good read.
It is a Porsche 964 Targa, the Alex 1224 (see below), Dutch Police car factory M code 630, 1 of 45.
This car was delivered in 1991 to the Dutch Highway Police by Wittebrug, then Porsche Dealer in The Netherlands. I have a copy of the delivery bill. The code name 'Alex 1224' stems from Alexanderkazerne (the station where they originally operated from), '12' for Porsche 911 and '24' the operations code of the car.
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During the period of 1960-1994, the Dutch highway police bought more than 500 Porsches (biggest customer ever), most of them 911 Targa’s, to ‘patrol the Dutch highways and educate the population in safer driving’. The latter was the main justification for the substantial budget as most car owners in the early sixties had never been properly trained at high speeds on the then unrestricted Dutch highways.
This car is one of only 45 of the last series of Targa’s, the 964, that were delivered at the end of the Dutch police Porsche era. In 1994 the cost, combined with the fading of the initial purpose became the reason to finally reduce the highway patrols and also look for cheaper vehicles.
The car has original factory M code 630, Dutch police car, featuring several special options. For example the ‘English’ right door and the special sunshades. In an air cooled 911 the right mirror is normally placed further backwards for a good driver’s view, but to control traffic the Policeman passenger had to look backwards and the right door was factory replaced by an ‘English’ RHD door with the mirror more to the front (like on the driver’s side). Interestingly, not only the mirror is placed forward, but the whole door is different, as it also has the electrical mirror adjustment fitted, like normally only for the driver side in a 964.
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Also the sun-visors are different from standard, since over the rear mirror there is a second mirror for the passenger and the sun-visors were shorter. This is a very rare item, also originally factory delivered.
Furthermore, the car is equipped with a blue lamp, sirens and a ‘police stop’ and ‘police follow’ electronic shield behind the Targa rear window, all working as per original and including an authentic switchboard where normally the radio would be. My car has 2 radiotelephones, microphones and speakers fitted under the dashboard, since at some point in the early nineties the police were switching from one communication system to another and for some time the cars needed double equipment.
In police service, the cars operated under heavy duty circumstance. Many cars have worn out 2-3 engines before being wrecked and few known cars still exist. This 964 is one of the exceptions in that it was taken out of service early and still has its original engine (as per Porsche birth certificate). Towards the end of the Police Porsche era and to control cost for the Dutch government, Porsche made a special deal to take the cars back at around 125,000 KM at prefixed price, after which many were resprayed, fitted with an airco and sold to the Middle East. Only few remained in Europe and only 3 are known to me to be in original condition.
After its police service, my car was sold for private use and was only rediscovered in France as an original police car in 2013 by an enthusiast. The car had the original features and was still white with a wonderful patina, just enough to show its work horse history. He retrofitted the car to full original spec. I bought the car in March 2014 and had it technically shaped up to fit my small collection of Porsches 911. Given the heritage, I have been given a personal exemption issued by the Dutch Ministry of Justice and the Dutch Police, to drive the car in full police equipment.
Lots of fun with this car for the enthusiastic reactions from literally all road users, and especially the Police, always flashing their light in passing by.
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Originally Posted by LongRanger
