Retired Michigan officer donates his 1963 Plymouth Savoy police car

The Detroit Police Museum just added a new classic to its collection. Retired police officer George Patak donated his 1963 Plymouth Savoy police car replica during a small ceremony at public safety headquarters in Detroit.

Protect and serve

Patak said he's dreamed of being a police officer offer since he was young. He used to listen to police calls on a device at home. After attending a police academy and graduating, he became an officer at Wayne State University, where he served from 1978 to 1985. Patak then served with the Ann Arbor Police from 1985 to 2005.

He's also been a life-long car enthusaist, which led to him owning the Plymouth Savoy. The vehicle originally belonged to the U.S. Air Force and later a fire department. Patak got it from a buyer on the East Coast. Patak had the car modified to resemble the station wagons Detroit Police used back in the 1960s.

The original 1963 Plymouth Savoy station wagons Detroit police used weren't the type of cars giving tickets and chasing down criminals, but to transport people to the hospital. The city of Detroit's EMS was founded in 1972, so before then the police used these station wagons. The extra cargo space could fit two patients in the back.

"The reason it's a station wagon is because back in 1963 there was no EMS. So if you needed a ride to the hospital, you're going to fold down the two stretchers and put down the backseat and ride to the hospital. That was it, no first aid," Patak said. "I talked to some old timers that used the cross straps in the back as tourniquets."

Presentation day

Family members and other police officers joined Patak for the Oct. 30 presentation. When asked why he chose to part ways with the car, Patak said, "I got all the use I could get out of it and I wanted it to go to a place where it will be appreciated and people can enjoy it."

Patty Kukula, executive director at the Detroit Public Safety Foundation, spoke about the significance of the vehicle.

"So many officers have come through our departments and there is a great respect for the past and for officers who didn't have police shields or stun guns," Kukula said. "Mr. Patak saying how police would take victims in the back of this just shows the dedication and the care of the police officers throughout Detroit."

The car won't be on display publicly at the museum inside police headquarters, but it will make appearances at a few local events next year. The car will be a part of the Detroit St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Ferndale Emergency Vehicle Show that is held days before the Woodward Dream Cruise. The car may make more appearances but those are yet to be announced.

Keenan Thompson is a car culture reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Keenan at kthompson@freepress.com. Follow him on Instagram at @keenanautos. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.