1982 CHP Mustang E870255

[Steve]

Thanks everyone, again for the encouragement and moral support. My next stop will again be motor transport, in an attempt to see if the replacement vehicle listed on 870255's assignment card just might be that 84 I was assigned in Los Banos. If so, and I can get its VIN, I'll look for it. I have some other information requests to work on and next time I go by the Los Banos area office I certainly will stop in and get some info there for Wolfe.

What makes me saddest of all is the thought that 870255 met such an inglorious end. Ended up in the hands of owners who never appreciated or cared what it was or about its history. It was just another pony car to them that they rode hard and put away wet. Could have done that with any generic fast car. They were careless with something of value that could have been a museum exhibit. I was even thinking, after full restoration and showing the vehicle for years, of donating it to a museum, like the CHP Museum at the Academy, when I got too old to do anything more with it. Now that will never happen.

[MOstang]

Best wishes on your search for another one. Sounds like you had some real nice plans for the one with the unenviable end...unfortunately many SSPs and old police cars have met a similar unglamorous ending, I'm afraid. Like you said from people who just didn't know, or appreciate, or care, what they had.

[mac88chp]

Originally Posted by Steve

What makes me saddest of all is the thought that 870255 met such an inglorious end. Ended up in the hands of owners who never appreciated or cared what it was or about its history. It was just another pony car to them that they rode hard and put away wet. Could have done that with any generic fast car. They were careless with something of value that could have been a museum exhibit.

Yes, it's sad but true that way too many of these old ponies were driven to death by folks that just viewed them as cheap speed once they completed their primary purpose in life. The alarming attrition rate observed for these cars was one of the factors that gave impetus to the formation of the original SSP interest group in the late nineties. One of the goals formulated was to ensure the history and documentation of the breed was saved with the second to provide encouragement and to facilitate the preservation of as many actual examples as possible for posterity.

That work is being carried on right here and elsewhere and to that end, I hope you'll join in and find a special unit out there that you can call your own and ultimately contribute your part to this cause. I spent 2 years finding the right car, 5 years hunting down parts and restoring it and the last 5 years showing and sharing it and have never had more fun or learned more things in my life.

[Steve]

Now that I have two '82s to work on, I have been getting much more active in the SSP hobby and thought it might be time for another Mustang story or two. So as I think of them I'll post in this thread again from time to time.

[chp1982]

Excellent and keep the updates on both coming!

[Steve]

0255 lives! Well, vicariously, that is...through 0327. I had some repro plates made for 0255, so when 0327 is finished it can "pose" as 0255 from time to time. Since 0255 is known to have been destroyed, this is the best I can do. It is a happier ending to the story than before.

[calimustang]

awesome!