Oldsguy

Sorry everyone, this is the only way I could contact whomever I forgot their user name was. Whoever it was that PM'd me about this subject, I deleted your message and forgot your user name. I apologize to you too. You told me about a bank robbery here in Lees Summit in 1969 and how the Mo. State troopers apprehended the robbers with a few 1969 or 1968 Delta Police package cars and asked me to verify it.

The story is, there is no story yet, I could not verify it at the local Missouri Highway Patrol headquarters. They have no records, they don't even have pictures on the wall (sheesh). So I am going to have to get over to the Jeff city museum sometime to try to verify the story. I checked on the internet with negative results. They have some cool pictures of older cars but no Deltas. So we are at a standstill right now...

Uncle Hulka

Hi Oldsguy,

I'm the guy who sent you the story. I just stumbled across your post totally by accident as part of my ongoing search for information about my '69 Delt w/B07.

I am not happy to hear that you're not having anything resembling luck. I wish I could give you more to go on, but I found that post on a Buick site awhile ago. I can't even find that post! I am so glad I saved it. There is just so little info out there about the cars themselves that I save EVERYTHING I can find.

I can't wait to hear what you find out (if anything). Please keep me posted. As the only story I've found so far, it has come to mean an awful lot to me.

Good Luck,

Uncle Hulka

Oldsguy

If anyone else has a lead on this info it would be much appreciated.

wmachine

I know a guy who I'm sure is quite familiar with this. Sent pm to both of you!

Oldsguy

Uncle, I sent him an email 1422 central time today. We'll see what comes of it.

Oldsguy

I sent him an email and he responded, he said I could share his information so here goes a complete quote.

"Lee's Summit! You're kidding. I was born at St. Lukes Hospital in K.C. on 4
Sept 1946. I lived in Lee's Summit from then until late May 1979 when I
moved to Tucson, AZ. My parents owned F.M. Schick & Son Hdw., located on the
northwest corner of Douglas and Third streets.

Okay, from memory.

In the time frame you're referring to, I have no idea of the exact date, but
'70-'71 sounds right, some idiots in 2 cars decided to rob the Framer's
Trust Bank on the southeast corner of Main and Third streets, one block west
of our hardware store. Fortunately, someone pushed the silent alarm.
Unfortunately for the robbers, Missoura (the way I pronouce it) Highway
Patrol Troop B was (and is?) stationed in Lee's Summit on the northwest
corner of the intersection of By-Pass 291 and HiWay 50, beside the Lee's
Summit Senior High School. My classmate's, Ellen Place, Dad was Sgt. Robert
Place, MHP, and a good guy. Remember, the MHP troopers lived in Lee's
Summit. It was their town. They defended their town.

The first response was from one MHP trooper. My friends at NAPA Fairway Auto
Supply just down Main street south from the bank saw it unfold with this
trooper. Bill, the owner, and Roger, the main counterman, told me about it
later. (I can't remember their last names.)

The trooper came charging north up Main street at Code 3 heading toward the
bank. The robbers in one car made the mistake of deciding to go south on
Main. The trooper spun his cruiser to the left, blocking Main with his 90
degree turn, with the robbers coming straight at him. He bailed out with his
riot shotgun and took cover behind the right front fender, with his engine
block for protection, and his shotgun leveled across his hood at the
approaching car. He dared the punks to keep coming at him. They came to a
4-wheel brake lock-up stop and exited their car with their hands in the air.

Meanwhile, the other car made it to By-Pass 291 and 50 HiWay, right beside
Troop B HQ, and headed east on 50. That was a real bad move. 2 cruisers
rocketed out after them. It was about a 3-4 mile chase, but the troopers
nailed the creeps just before the State HiWay 7 turnoff to Pleasant Hill.
Never try to outrun a MHP Olds highway interceptor.

It took members of the Lee's Summit Police Department 20 minutes to show up
at the bank. The police station was exactly 2 blocks away. MHP Troop B HQ
was 2 miles away! I always wondered how fast the first trooper was going to
get to the bank that quick! Obviously, his Olds crusier could corner very
well.

All 3 MHP crusiers involved were Oldsmobiles. :-)))

There is an unoffical record of an Olds 1968 Delta 88 MHP cruiser racing to
Jefferson City via I-70 at night under Code 3 on some emergency carrying 6
troopers at 160 MPH, continuous. It was said that was much quicker to get
the troopers there than to screw around getting a plane, filing a flight
plan, etc.

I have a few other MHP trooper stories."

Milton Schick

Olds64

That is a cool story. Milton's last name is Schick, I wonder if he is related to Ryan Schick. I went to high school with him in LS.

It would be interesting to go to the library and search bound periodicals for an article on that. You could also go to the LS Journal and ask them if they have back issues available for research.

Jamesbo

Why bother with a flight plan if your crusier will go 160 miles per hour.

citcapp

Great story, the local police were a little late to the party

wmachine

Milton is wealth of knowledge of Oldsmobiles, particularly '60s vintage. He's one of those that needs to write a book!

Uncle Hulka

Thanks for sharing that story with everyone, Milton. You paint pictures with your words, my friend. If you have anything to add to that story OR any more details relating to the 60's Olds Police cars, I think I speak for the group and say "Please Share!" You are the only person I've heard of that can relate stories of the Delta Police cars and I am starving for stories like yours. I've had my Delta for a couple years now and have never driven it! I'm dying to hear about its performance, handling and acceleration characteristics.

I am so glad I contacted Oldsguy when I saw the Lees Summit location in his signature. I took a chance and it's really paying off. Thank you Oldsguy. If it wasn't for you, this story might have remained a forgotten legend.

Wmachine, you really scored a Home Run with Milton. He's one hell of an information resource!!!

Here is the original Lees Summit story. I found it on a Buick site a few years ago. Milton, are you the author or is there someone else out there who remembers this particular story:

"Well ya know, I wasn't going to indulge in Urban Legend, but with all
this talk of Hemi engines and 454's, I think I will. You can believe it
or not (and yes, I AM an Olds guy!)

Back in the late '60s and early '70s, we sometimes wondered whether Olds
really knew what they were doing. It sometimes seemed as if a 390 horse
455 in a Delta 88 was stronger than a W30 A-body. Case in point.

The Missoura Highway Patrol was unique in that, starting in 1950, all
Highway Patrol applicants must have a 4-year college degree. The MHP
were very professional and tough. The new trooper had the choice of
using a motor pool state maintained squad car, or the state would buy
any car the trooper wanted, as long as it was equipped with a highway
police interceptor
package, and give him a monthly allowance for maintainence. Anything
above that would have to come out of the trooper's pocket. The Olds
Delta 88 was a particular favorite.

I lived in Lee's Summit, 25 miles southeast of Kansas City. Troop B,
MHP, was located at the intersection of Highway 291 and US Highway 50, 2
miles from the center of downtown Lee's Summit. The Lee's Summit police
Department had about 35 officers for a population of around 20,000 and
64 square miles of city, in late Summer, 1968.

On one bright summer day, 4 idiots thought they would rob the Farmer's
Trust Bank of Lee's Summit. Their 2 getaway cars were a 396 Chevelle and
a 435HP 427 Camaro SS. The Camaro was also modified. The LSPD
headquarters was only
2 blocks from the bank. When the robbery went down and the silent bank
alarm went off, the MHP responded immediately from 2 miles away, but the
LSPD were nowhere to be seen. A '68 Olds Delta 88 with her MHP trooper
came screaming
down Main street, pivoted left, and stopped. The trooper bailed out, got
behind the left front wheel, shotgun across the hood, and levelled at
the approaching 396 Chevelle. The Chevelle screeched to a halt 3 feet
from the right front fender, and the 2 idiots exited with their arms
reaching for the sky. The LSPD showed up 10 minutes later to take
custody of the prisoners.

While this was going on, the 427 Camaro was playing a game. Figuring
that no one would suspect they would head toward Troop B Headquarters,
that's just what the Camaro did. It hit the Highway 50 intersection,
while all other MHP cars were looking elsewhere, and shot east on 50, as
fast as they could go. Fortunately, a MHP spotter plane was up on
traffic control and saw the Camaro. The pilot radioed for assistance.
Two MHP '68 Olds Delta 88s at a roadblock on North 291 responded. They
screamed south, hit the intersection, and went east. The Camaro was more
than 2 miles ahead. The 2 Deltas were officially clocked by the spotter
plane at 160 miles per hour, "rocketing" toward the Camaro. A few miles down 50
Highway, the MHP Deltas slowed down to sit on the Camaro's rear bumper
at 135 MPH. The 2 idiots pulled over and stopped their game.

'68 Olds Delta 88s, with the 390 HP 455 Police Apprehender engine, at
160 MPH. The idiots in the Camaro didn't do their homework right. Bad
gearing, and who knows what else, besides a lack of brains to tangle
with the MHP.

Another case in point. The KC Police Department bought four 410 HP,
single 850 Holley, 426 Hemi, road race/police interceptor package, with
4-speed, '68 Plymouths to be the Flying Freeway Interceptor Team. The
funny thing was, on several occasions, MHP troopers would get into Code
3 road races with their KCPD cousins, and beat the Hemi Plymouths every
single time. It pissed the KCPD guys off all the time. My good friend,
Officer Roy Timberman, Legion of Merit holder, was one of them. (Roy
went "cross country" through a plowed farmer's field in his squad car to
catch a heavily armed murder suspect, of a storekeeper, trying to make a
getaway on a cross-country mountain bike. Roy didn't let that little
detail stop his police cruiser. He got his man. Roy and I grew up
together, but in different high schools, as teenagers.)

Yes. The Oldsmobile Legend shall live with each of us on this board...at
least for those that care...lol!!"


There it is folks. The story written word for word as I found it back then.

Comments?

aliensatemybuick

Oldsmobile cop cars rule.

Uncle Hulka

I LOVE IT! A Delmont Cop car.

Details, details, DETAILS!

More pics would be great as well!

OLD SKL 69

Very cool indeed. I never saw an Olds police car, too young to remember them at the time and never see them at any local shows either. Any more stories?

FATRATMATT

Hemmings Muscle Machines ran a story on the 67 Delmont 88 Police Apprehender in Dec of 2008. Very cool story how Olds beat out Dodge for that one year. Olds used an 425 CI V8 which put out 375 hp @ 4800 rpm.The car was used in California by the CHP. The CHP purchased 1428 B07 Police Apprenhenders that year. Very cool story, if you can find a copy of it somewhere.

B BODIES RULE!!

aliensatemybuick

If you do a google image search on "1967 Delmont police" or "1967 Delmont CHP" or variations thereof, you should find many photos of the car mentioned above (and others). The CHP car in the recent HMM is exquisite.

Of course, if you just search for "Delmont + police", you will find photos of THIS car, a '68 model (but that's another story):

wmachine

More

citcapp

Would be super cool to own one of those. Wonder how many were produced by Oldsmobile

oldsowner1977

thats a really cools story. really does take words and make pictures out of them when you grew up in that area. thanks for sharing

Uncle Hulka

Here's the article that accompanies that awesome '67 Delmont Police car. Enjoy:

In the competition-rich atmosphere of the late '60s, when every manufacturer once again ignored the latest racing ban and seemingly every car had a Zeppelin-sized engine, Oldsmobile--the perennial dark horse in many contests--was able to briefly ****** one crown away from the best that Chrysler's divisions had to offer. Its moment in the sun came when the California Highway Patrol agreed to buy all of its 1967 police cruisers out of Lansing.

Sure, it doesn't sound like much: just another fleet transaction, big deal. However, the California Highway Patrol has historically been one of the largest, if not the largest, purchaser of law enforcement vehicles in the United States. The agency's size has allowed it to demand certain features not normally offered by car manufacturers--even on police packages--and its purchasing decisions tend to influence other law enforcement agencies across the country.

Factor in that CHP bought Chrysler products exclusively for the previous decade, and Oldsmobile's victory in 1967 came off as quite the coup.

Too bad the victory lasted just one year.

Why that happened remains up for debate. Oldsmobile had plenty of experience producing cop cars; Lansing worked closely with the CHP to produce the division's first police cars shortly after the introduction of Oldsmobile's OHV V-8 in 1949. While Oldsmobile never saw the success in the police car market that Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth saw, it still developed police packages throughout the 1950s and 1960s. One of those packages, under production code B01, formed the basis for the 1964 4-4-2, which used the cop car's heavy-duty front and rear suspension components, performance rear axle and front and rear anti-roll bars.

The B01 police package, however, applied to cars ordered for normal police patrol duty; Oldsmobile called it the Apprehender City Cruiser. For law enforcement agencies like the CHP, which demanded more from its cars than daily toodling around town, Oldsmobile offered the severe-duty B07 package, called the Apprehender Highway Patrol.

While Oldsmobile did create B07 packages for its F-85 and Cut-lass intermediates, in the full-size range, the division only offered it on the Delmont 88 and the more upscale Delta 88. Even then, Olds stipulated that the B07 package in the full-sizes couldn't be paired with the 330-cu.in. engine; instead, those B07s had to use the 425 to get the 4,300-pound behemoths up to pursuit speeds.

Excess weight, however, wasn't much of a drawback for police agencies at the time. According to an article on Oldsmobile police packages from a 1968 issue of Speed and Supercar Magazine, agencies actually sought out heavier police cars.

"It seems that both city and highway police are demanding bigger, heavier cars for cruiser and pursuit work mostly because of the softer ride and additional space," the article read. "The police are finding that heavier cars can give a better ride with the stiff, heavy-duty suspension that's necessary for durability and high-speed pursuit."

And the available engines of the day had enough brawn to move the bulk. The 425, with its forged-steel crankshaft, developed anywhere from 300hp to 385hp; the latter (engine code RT) was used exclusively in the Toronado, thus leaving the 375hp version (engine code RS, also used in non-police full-size Oldsmobiles) as the top engine in the B07 Delmont 88s.

The exclusivity of the B07 packages came in the suspension modifications that then-assistant experimental engineer Ted Louckes developed. Louckes, who later became Oldsmobile's chief engineer, endowed the B07 packages with stiffer springs all around; the front coils increased in stiffness by 67 percent--from 335 to 560 pounds per inch--while the rear coils increased 108 percent, jumping from 125 to 260 pounds per inch. To handle the stiffer rear coils, he designed reinforced lower control arms in the four-link setup. The front anti-roll bar increased in diameter from one inch to 1.03 inches, and Louckes added a 0.88-inch rear anti-roll bar.

In an interview in that same issue of Speed and Supercar Magazine, Louckes said the addition of the rear anti-roll bar "gives the steering a more neutral feel on high-speed curves, so the front end doesn't tend to plow and feel heavy in the turn. What we're doing, in effect, is to... make the rear tires work harder in the turn. By distributing the cornering work more evenly between the four tires we get more loyal cornering power."

He also said he designed the springs to be so stiff because "these cars aren't always running on straight or smooth highways. Many times a car being chased will dodge off on a rough country road. Or many times a police car will have to run off on the shoulder to avoid another car in a high-speed chase. There have been cases where they have to run partway down into a ditch, and back out at 80 mph.

"This is mighty hairy business... The main reason for the stiff springs is to prevent excessive 'bottoming' of the suspension when we hit hard bumps at high speeds. This bottoming can throw the car out of control or break parts."

Aside from the stiffer suspension, the B07 package also included heavy-duty shocks, a certified calibrated speedometer, heavy-duty cooling equipment and a heavy-duty Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 three-speed automatic transmission. Louckes also noted that the Oldsmobile police packages were built on heavy-duty frames, and noted the use of special, heavy-duty fully welded wheels and a choice of tires: Goodyear Police Special Speedway Blue Streaks or Firestone 500s.

Which all seemed rather sufficient for the CHP. During those years, the agency had a long list of stipulations, from the seemingly mundane--a minimum wheelbase of 122 inches--to the extreme: the ability to maintain 125 mph in up to 120-degree heat for a set amount of time.

From 1956 to 1966, one Chrysler division or another had been able to meet those stipulations and then submit the lowest bid. "CHP always stuck with Dodge; they never ordered Plymouths," said Kevin McLaughlin, a CHP historian and police car restorer, and the owner of our feature car. "Only once in that time, in 1962, did they use Chrysler's Newport Enforcer, and that was only because Dodge had redesigned its full-size cars that year on a much shorter wheelbase." Yet midway through 1962, Dodge introduced the Custom 880 on a 122-inch wheelbase, paving the way for further CHP contracts. And a few years later when the Polara adopted a 121-inch wheelbase, Dodge added an extra inch of wheelbase in the police package versions.

As hard as Dodge fought for the CHP contract, then, it seemed odd that it would lose the contract so easily to Oldsmobile in 1967. Dodge had just redesigned the Polara that year--on a 122-inch wheelbase, of course--and had just released a 375hp version of the 440. And as McLaughlin pointed out, Dodge was able to sell Polaras to the CHP for $2,546 each in 1966, about $75 less than what Oldsmobile charged for B07 Delmonts (and in 1968, Dodge dropped the price even further, to $2,433), "so cost probably wasn't a factor," McLaughlin said.

Ed Sanow, author of Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler Police Cars, 1979-1994, raised another possibility. "By now (1967), the other automakers were accusing Dodge of 'sleeping' with the California Highway Patrol," he wrote. Sanow, however, didn't offer any reason why the CHP chose Oldsmobile (and its related dealership, Foulks Motor Company in Sacramento) over the many other manufacturers that surely vied for that contract. He did, however, offer reasons for why Oldsmobile lost the contract after 1967.

"Some officers described the 1967 Olds as 'The worst thing the State ever did to us!' " Sanow wrote. "Officers complained of weak brakes and poor handling. Maintaining a full tank of gas and adding three or four boxes of flares in the trunk aided handling; however, extended periods of idling would cause the Olds to 'load up.' "

McLaughlin said the CHP issued a thick stack of repair memos while the 1,428 Oldsmobiles that it purchased circulated throughout the agency. The memos describe assorted problems including spark plug fouling, rear springs becoming loose after the cars were jacked up, backfiring and blowing out mufflers, cracks on the lower control arms, and carburetor secondaries sticking and causing the loss of the top end. Additionally, the front pushbar didn't extend far enough to prevent damage to the protruding front corners of the 1967 full-size body. The last memo of the series instructed CHP garages across the state to just not bother fixing the corners until the cars were decommissioned.

"Normally, every car has issues, but they (the CHP) just weren't in love enough with the Oldsmobiles," McLaughlin said. "One old-timer told me a story about how a sergeant took a brand-new Olds out one night, but then couldn't figure out the seatbelts because they didn't have the buttons like the Dodges, so he had to wiggle out underneath the seatbelt."

Unsurprisingly, Dodge won the CHP contract for 11 of the next 12 years; only Mercury repeated Oldsmobile's one-and-done act, with the Monterey in 1970.

McLaughlin said he found this particular 375hp B07 Delmont 88 in a newspaper ad in 2000. One look at the rear anti-roll bar and the lack of power steering and he knew it was an actual B07 car. The faded four-digit number painted in the doorjamb told him it was a real ex-CHP car, to boot. Though McLaughlin so far hasn't been able to determine exactly where the Delmont was stationed within the CHP, he said it most likely remained in service for a couple years, the typical lifespan for a CHP patrol car. An eight-month restoration brought the Delmont back to its in-service condition.

END PART 1

Uncle Hulka

PART 2

So we sent our man in California, Jeff Koch, to see whether the CHP officers had unjust biases against the Oldsmobile or if the Delmont really did have its flaws.

Unlike most muscle cars, Koch first encountered the short doors of the four-door body style, but he noted (without cracking a donut joke, we might add) that they "open wide enough so that stockier frames can slide in without issues."

"Inside is workaday enough that it's barely recognizable as an Oldsmobile," he continued. "No concessions for comfort, no sparkle or flash. Rubber mat, itchy cloth seat that stops at your shoulder blades, no clock or even an AM radio; even the normally chromed door armrest trims are painted black. The only gauge to pay attention to inside the car is the police-certified speedometer, which is the only one that matters if you're hunting down speeders. It's all very austere--but then again, this buggy is built for business, not pleasure.

"Straight out the windshield is a view of endless acres of black steel, all peaky and threatening. The push bars that the officers had so much trouble with are completely invisible. We resisted the urge to put on the hat and sunglasses and hide behind a bridge abutment.

"Twist the key, and the big 425 immediately kicks over into a low rumble--smooth and purposeful on its own merits without the benefit of exhaust or camshaft trickery. Off-idle torque is evident, and the noises through the pipes are delicious and thick with authority, but the explosiveness we were anticipating never arrived.

"Steering is fully manual, with a white wheel to prevent hot hands on sunny California days. The manual box was specified, we're told, to improve road feel in pursuit situations, but between the 20 degrees of on-center slop, the manual steering box's eternal lock-to-lock (even the mildest of bends require half a turn of the wheel or more), and the sheer amount of work you invest behind that spindly wheel, it actually distracts from the rest of the driving experience. At triple digits on the open road, it may make some sense. Around town, it's a distraction.

"And that's just trying to keep it straight ahead. Once you're in the turns, there are massive amounts of lean, and it's easy to squeal the Goodyear Eagle blackwall radials. You'd think there would be a ride tradeoff, that perhaps, being an Oldsmobile, there would be some softness dialed into the suspension as indicated by the low-speed understeer, but there isn't. It may smooth out at highway speeds, but around town, it's crashy and even a little nervous."

So while there's no proof that administrative reasons didn't figure into the 1968 purchasing decisions--Dodge could very well have drastically reduced its bid just to regain the contract--we can see that the officers of the CHP had some very valid complaints about the B07 Delmonts.

Now, about those CHP 1970 Mercury Montereys...

Owner's View
Many other people tried to buy this car, but the seller wouldn't sell it to them. She liked the fact that my son and I were restoring it together, and she still calls us regularly.

I wanted it because I've always been into police cars, especially CHP cars--I grew up watching Highway Patrol, Adam-12 and CHiPs, and I always had a thing for their cars. Plus, the Olds is very rare with the Police Apprehender package, and it has some great styling.

I was never a cop myself, but because of this project and because of all the cop cars I've restored, my son now really wants to go to the academy and become a police officer himself. --Kevin McLaughlin

PROS
+ Rare piece of police history
+ Plenty of grunt from Olds big-block
+ Slowpokes tend to get out of the way

CONS
- It's technically illegal to run the lights and sirens on the highway
- Crashes and leans at low speeds
- Speeders tend to become slowpokes, thus getting IN your way

Club Scene

Emergency Vehicles Owners and Operators Association
P.O. Box 1149
Airway Heights, Washington 99001
509-244-4062
www.evooa.org
Dues: $30/year • Membership: 700

www.copcar.com

Oldsmobile Club of America
P.O. Box 80318
Lansing, Michigan 48908
517-663-1811
www.oldsclub.org
Dues: $40/year

1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 Police Apprehender Specifications

Price
Fleet price: $2,622
Base MSRP: $3,071
Options on car profiled: B07 Police Apprehender package

Engine
Type: Oldsmobile OHV tall-deck V-8, iron block
Displacement: 425 cubic inches
Bore x Stroke: 4.125 x 3.975 inches
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 375 @ 4,800
Torque @ rpm: 470-lbs.ft. @ 3,200
Valvetrain: Hydraulic valve lifters
Main bearings: 5
Fuel system: Single Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, mechanical pump
Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump
Electrical system: 12-volt
Exhaust system: Dual exhaust

Transmission
Type: Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 three-speed automatic
Ratios 1st: 2.48:1
2nd: 1.48:1
3rd: 1.00:1
Reverse: 2.07:1

Differential
Type: Oldsmobile Hotchkiss-type hypoid
Ratio: 3.08:1

Steering
Type: Manual, recirculating ball
Ratio: 24:1

Brakes
Type: Hydraulic, power assist
Front: 11.88-inch four-piston disc
Rear: 11-inch drum

Chassis & Body
Construction: Body on reinforced frame
Body style: Four-door sedan
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive

Suspension
Front: Independent, unequal length A-arms; coil springs; 50-50 telescoping shock absorbers; 1.03-inch solid anti-roll bar
Rear: Four-link; coil springs; 50-50 telescoping shock absorbers; 0.88-inch solid anti-roll bar

Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Reinforced steel disc
Front: 15 x 6 inches
Rear: 15 x 6 inches
Tires: Goodyear Police Special
(Currently: Goodyear GT+4 radials)
Front: 15 x 8.45 inches (Currently: 235/70R15)
Rear: 15 x 8.45 inches (Currently: 235/70R15)

Weights & Measures
Wheelbase: 123 inches
Overall length: 217 inches
Overall width: 80 inches
Overall height: 55.5 inches
Front track: 62.5 inches
Rear track: 63 inches
Curb weight: 4,327 pounds

Capacities
Crankcase: 5 quarts
Cooling system: 18.5 quarts
Fuel tank: 25 gallons
Transmission: 9 quarts

Calculated Data
Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.88
Weight per bhp: 11.54 pounds
Weight per c.i.d.: 10.18 pounds

Production
Of the 21,511 Delmont 88 four-door sedans that Oldsmobile produced in 1967, the California Highway Patrol purchased 1,428 B07 Police Apprehender versions.

Performance
0-60 mph: 8.0 seconds
1/4-mile e.t.: 15.3 seconds @ 91.6 mph

toro68

These are awesome stories!

toro68

Thank you for sharing these stories!

76Supreme455

Take a look this article from Mechanix Illustrated from February 1968, when Tom McCahill tested the 1968 Olds Delmont 88 police car. I could not get the the size to scan correctly, so I will have to type the text.

Here goes: Be warned its kinda long........

"In 22 years of testing, with this issue, I've only come across three really great American automobiles. I'm not counting four-wheel-drive specials or Cunningham-type sports cars but regular family-type cars. The first great one was the Mexican Road Race Lincoln of 1953. Next was the Chrysler 300F of 1960 and now the 1968 Oldsmobile State Police car. Of course, if you wish but, in my book, it's a great sedan buuilt the way every other American car should be, including the regular Olds.

If the Washington vacumn heads dictating safety would go for a ride in one of these rigs they should quickly realize that this is the answer. If they had the intelligence of a chipmunk they'd know that roadable cars, such as the Olds police special would save more lives and prevent more injuries than all the recessed door controls, instrument buttons, door buzzers and breakaway mirrors that could be made in the next 30 years.

Frankly, though I test dozens or cars each year, I'd almost forgotten how good a car can be when engineering is given a free hand and not influenced by sales, dowagers and advertising.

As you undoubtedly know, a number of companies specialize in police cars, which are usually rugged, functional pieces of equipment. Though I have driven other makes, this Olds, whihc is called the Police Apprehender, must be rated tops. The sad part is that is your typical olds dealer was not so typical he would encourage you to order this type of car for your own use. It would cost only a few dollars more than the standard blobs.

At this writing only California and Missouri are using the Olds for police work. In these states don't try to outrun the cops because they can eat you alive. Many owners of hot specials can run as fast or faster on a track or turnpike but to try to outrun the Apprehender on any normal highway cold be disastrous. These cop rigs had such top roadability, especially where roads bend or twist, you would't have a prayer of escaping with a standard Detroit underpinning.

You may be asking yourself why we are testing a police car and not an ordinary people's pail. We have had dozens of letters through the years asking about police and police cars. "Were they faster?" "Do they have secret equipment?" and similar queries.

We knew that some were faster than Joe Citizen's bus, but not all, and nearly all of us have heard freinds tell about outrunning cops. These stories are usually exaggerated, espically if the fuzz had top equipment. Years ago it used to be considered great sport to outrun a few law-and-order boys on trips between New York and Florida. In those days the kinds in the funny hats only had Model-A Fords and similar appredenders and no radios. Today if the fuzz find they are chasing a full-blown nut doing upwards of 130 they get on the radio to a patrol car ahead and back off. This is a cinch on a turnpike or interstate where exits can be blocked. However under most circumstances a bomb, such as our test job, can catch offenders before they can blink.

This Olds police canoe has a high-torque, mid-range cam and a special automatic transmission with shift points up to 90. In testing we found if you jump the throttle while crusing at 50 mph you can get up to 80 in 6.1 seconds and to a full 100 in 10.8. As your Aunt Matilda can tell you, this is really sliding over the pavement. our cop rig was powered by a gigantic 455 cubic inch eigine that develops 390 hp. Zero to 30 took 3.1 seconds, 0 to 50 averaged 5.2 and 0 to 60 was 7.9. It turned the quarter-mile in 15.2 seconds and the 100 in 16.4 This means if you are cruising flat out in a family rig, Joe Law could slide out from behind that billboard and nail you before you had gone another mile. Top speed was a nose tweak over 130 mph on the Daytona Speedway, which brings up a silly point and about the only silly thing I could find about the car. This bag of bolts had a certified police speedometer that only registered to 120 mph. I guess after 120 you just get the full book thrown at you and you don't have to worry whether you were doing 129 or 126.

The rear axle ratio is 3.08, which is not exactly a dragster's happy tail but those high shift points with the transmission kept it moving up fast, which partially explains the 15.2 quarter-mile time.

On the Daytona Sports-Car course this squirrel cornered almost as flat as a Ferrari and when I purposely spun it out several times there was no uncontrollable roll and I cold get it back on line with a wrist flick, as it had power steering. The car was equipped with what Olds calls an ultra-high-voltage ignition system to prevent breakdown during high acceleration runs and at top speed. It also had an anti-spin differential to give the rear wheel with the most traction the go ahead. The tires which were 15x8.45. were Goodyear so-called police specials with a 6-ply rating.

The thing that gives this fuzz twirler its superiority is not its speed or its 390-hp engine but its roadability. Where this car differs from showroom traps is thhrough its heavy-duty front and rear shock absorbers, plus extra-heavy front and rear stabilizer bars which keep all four wheels on the ground. Few people know, or refuse to know,, that firm suspension is a lot more restful on a trip than a jello mushpot. The usual American sedan keeps you bobbing like a cork in a washing machine. Believe it or not, this takes quite a lot of physical effort on a long run. The passengers and driver in a firmly suspended car rarely bob or sway and remain fresher for this reason. I realize you's have a hard time selling these thoughts to your mother-in-law but these are facts not fancy. The Madison Avenue ad boys have brainwashed the American car buyers so well that nearly every car on the road today is at least twice as dangerous and tiring as it should be. With firm suspension there is some chop action over corduroy roads and those with a series of potholes but then these are the types of roads most people try to avoid.

In summing up, though our test car would not be considered a high-style rig, espically with its black-and-white paint job, it was the greatest American car I have driven since 1960. I tooled this car around the countryside and over interstates for many miles but before I had gone my first mile I realized I was in a truly great piece of transportation. The steering was quick and crisp and when whirling out in passing maneuvers you knew that all four wheels were on the ground and that you had complete command of any situation that might pop up. I could't help but think what an advantage the cops really have with these rigs for whipping in and out or reaching high speeds in an eyeblink. My Mexican Lincoln was like this but that was 15 years ago.

You eagle-eyed MI readers who noticed that the car on the cover is not the Olds Police Apprehender are right. It's a late model Ford used by the Florida Highway Patrol State Troopers.

In summing up the summing up, we've tested a lot of good cars on these pages over the years--some well suspended, some with great performance and many with toop lushness and reliability--but this fuzz bucket is one of the three great and the kind of a rig I would personally like to own for the next ten years. The crying shame of it is that makes this car far superior-and safer- thatn its contemporaries can be had for less than 100 bucks extra.

Just in case you are wondering why in some pictures the car has police lights and not in others, here's why. I felt that in our runs around the sports-car course and on the high banks they might cause some problems so we yanked them. Besides they look nice in my den."

Uncle Hulka

YES!!!! Another lost article finds its way to this thread! Now let's up the ante. There must be someone here who has actually owned/driven/ridden (even in a professional capacity in one of these cars.

Thank you, Alan, for taking the time to re-type that article so that we could all enjoy it!

Uncle Hulka

Here are better scans of that article. I forgot I had this one.

DOH!

Gromit Dog

That is so cool!

I picked my 64 for a police car simply because finding a car of that vintage, a 4 door, in good shape isn't easy around here. most are cut up to fix 2 doors, or beaten to death. I didn't know Olds actually had a police package. I need to find out more!

66400

'64 88's (and other years in the '60's) were used by the LAPD as freeway chase cars.

I also own a 67 Delmont 88 ex CHP unit.

Dec. '08 Hemmings MuscleMachines magazine had an article on a restored 67 Delmont 88 CHP.

Go to copcar.com for lots of police car info.

Henry

Olds64

Very cool!

MN71W30

Those poor cops having to drive hard and fast with Bias ply tires. Anything over 80mph must have been real spooky if the road had any curves at all.

delmontcrusier

I really enjoyed this I have three delmonts one convertible and two four doors.None of them were cop cars but it still is neat to know history and the model I own.The ones I have are different in the fact one (the blue 4dr) is a 330 v8 with a th350 the base model.The second my project had a 425 and th400 I say had as it is long gone and this car was a ac car.The convertable was also a 425 non ac car that i origionally bought for parts but I am considering rat rodding it.The history I was told by a few people was that the delmont was the model that was made for police cars and was the base model.The way I understood it was like for instance ford made the crown vic in olds terms would be the delta and the ford interceptor in olds terms was the delmont.The way I took it is they tried to sell them to police dept's and when they didn't sell as well as the hoped they scrapped the delmont line in favor of the delta seeing as it was basicly the same exact car just differnt trim.The sad thing is due to the delmont being built for only two years many peple get confused.I have had questions like is that a canadian model or is that a delta when the fender emblems are plainly visable.The most common thing said is I havn't heard of a delmont before.I tell you though I was disapointed when olds was discontinued sad when vehicles and makes are thrown away like yesterdays trash.

Kwish

This makes me happy that I have a 68 delta 88 engine in my car Now I just need to get new rings in it so it doesnt burn so much damn oil! I dont think Ill ever sell my car because of this story haha

wmachine

I may be misunderstanding what you are saying, but the though the Delmont was used as police cars, it was not made specifically to *be* a police car. Yes, it was the base 88 model, and base models were generally what were picked for police use. In '67, the 330 and 425 Delmonts in addition to the Delta 88 could be had with Police packages.
The Delmont models replaced the previous years Jetstar 88s as the base 88 models.

Uncle Hulka

Kurt, as always, is right on the money. May I also add that in 1967, all Delmont 88 convertibles offered the 425 as its base engine. Wish they continued that philosophy for 1968. As much as I love my Delmont, I do wish it has the 455. The 350 is fine for cruising and it's pretty good on fuel, but I've got to be honest......I'm a big-block kind of guy!

jpc647

You said it!

Destructor

A person can even learn how to swim in these cars, open the door then float to the surface. Upon arriving on the shore leave your date for dead and leave the scene.

toro68

Was the W-33 option , for 1970 only?

wmachine

It is virtually the same as the L32 in 1969. I'm guessing they changed the designation in '70 to a "W" as a marketing move. Olds did make a point to make their W numbers performance oriented. '70 was the only year there were 6 W-machines!

joe_padavano

You threw me for a minute there (the coffee hasn't kicked in yet). I had to use the fingers of both hands to finally get six. It took me a minute to figure out that 30 through 34 includes five different numbers.

And, no, 45 wasn't the one I missed...

toro68

There was W-30 (442)
W-31 (Cutlass)
W-32 (1969 442/ 1970 SX Cutlass)
W-33 (Delta)
W-34 (Toronado GT)

Did I leave/miss anything out?
Of course there was the W-45 ram air hood and W-27 rear axle for the A-body cars.