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MSP celebrating 100th anniversary with ‘retro’ painted patrol cars

Posted at 1:54 PM, Jan 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-11 12:40:05-05

LANSING, Mich. - To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Michigan State Police, you may start seeing some "retro" cruisers on area highways.

50 special edition black and gold patrol cars are joining the Michigan State Police patrol fleet this week.  The 2016 Dodge Chargers are painted to resemble the department's 1937 Ford Model 74, which was the oldest vehicle in the department's fleet.

The department used the black and gold cars until 1954 when the police commissioner changed the cars to blue, which is the color of the cars today.

1937 Ford Model 74 - from Michigan State Police

1937 Ford Model 74 - from Michigan State Police

Each of the state's 30 MSP posts will get at least one of the throwback cars.  The cars were purchased as part of the department's annual fleet replacement, so no additional money was used and there were no additional costs for the cars.

Last month, MSP revealed throwback hats the troopers will wear in commemoration of the 100th anniversary.