Greenlight 1974 Dodge Monaco "California Highway Patrol"

Greenlight is set to produce three new sedan castings from the 1970's later this year, and most of them are also perfect for police duty in the Hot Pursuit series.  One of them is a later version of the Dodge Monaco that has seen many TV and film debut's.  Meanwhile the earlier 1974 casting, a movie star from "The Blues Brothers", finally comes out with a pefect deco: The California Highway Patrol.

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The Monaco was Dodge's new full-size sedans that were introduced in the 1970's inconviently at the time of the oil crisis as this second-generation 1974 model was.  The styling was too generic and often confused with some GM models, while the press criticized Chrysler for offering big cars at the wrong time.  Still a lot of these Monaco's seen duty as police cars.  The sturdy uni-body frames were great for not only the tough police jobs but also as stunt cars for TV and movie series where these cars could run again after being damaged during stunts.  The Royal Monaco was a more high-end version that features hidden headlights, landau roof, and a more luxurios interior.  Thanks to rising emission standards and high gas prices these Monaco's were mostly sold as commercial vehicles and by the 1980's were replaced by smaller and lighter Diplomat models.  The powertrain on the police models is the 440 CID four-barrel carberator V8 that produced an estimated 250 horsepower through a three-speed automatic transmission.

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For fans of the TV series "CHiPs" this Monaco deco is just perfect.  The black with white and tan interior looks really good on this car.  It is a big car as its just as long and as wide as most of the modern Greenlight pickups.  The front has quad headlights connecting a slimmer grille and DODGE letters just above.  The large front bumper is aided by two large push poles that look a bit flimsy compared to some of today's modern setups.  The sides show the long and flat beltline with MONACO on the front fenders and white doors with the CHP badges on the front doors.  The blacked-out steel wheels with chrome rims are a nice touch even though they are a bit wide.  The light bar on the roof has the accurate colors and shape, but it sits too high off the roof.  The rear has rectangular taillights that cut into the rear bumper, Highway Patrol on the trunk, and a blue California plate.  The metal base shows off the drivetrain and exhaust details with front upper and lower A-arms and rear live axle and leaf spring suspension.

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Pop open the hood to reveal the 440 V8 in blue with an orange air cleaner and excellent details from the valve covers to the resovoirs and battery that line the edges of the engine bay.  The interior has seating for six wtih a basic dashboard layout that has all controls centered toward the driver, 3-spoke steering wheel, and a horizontal speedometer.  The trunk also has lots of room for any police gear.  This is one big brute that is strong and does its job well.  Another nice touch is the separate Royal Monaco casting that Greelight offers though that casting is not as popular as the police version, and finally seeing one in CHP deco makes the car complete.

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