Ford Model A Paddy Wagon Lays down the Law
Cool vintage Model A no longer hauls notorious gangsters off to jail, but it still has style for days.
Compared to the heyday of cops and robbers, today’s battle between Johnny Law and the Outlaws looks a lot different. The most notable difference (to us anyway) are the boring vehicles both sides employ. SUVs and sedans rule the roost in a world that used to feature some pretty cool stuff. Like back in the roaring ’20s, when notorious mobsters got throw in the back of awesome rides like this 1929 Model A paddy wagon we spotted over at Mecum.
No word on where, exactly, this cool old truck actually served. But today, it sports Chicago Police livery that looks right at home. And instead of shoving criminals in the back of a windowless van, this Model A has open bars. You know, so the rest of the world could see that no mobster was above the law. In the good old days of law enforcement, cops liked to show off their prized catches and parade them in front of the press.
The back of this old school paddy wagon is about as spartan as a jail cell, of course. Just a couple benches and the requisite cuffs. But it is fashioned from some pretty gorgeous wood, which certainly beats the old musty concrete cell. And there’s a steel/oak folding step in case you were lucky enough not to get tossed in the back.
Everything else you need to fight crime is included, too. That means an infamous “Chicago typewriter” Tommy Gun with a custom steel holder, an oak billy club (for persuasion), and wanted posters to help locate your targets. All of which is a nice reminder that police didn’t always fight crime in boring, fuel-sipping rides. After all, it wasn’t just the gangsters who did everything in style back in the day!
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