Classic Hollywood cop car for sale by Ontario man who spent 20 years restoring it | CBC News

When you think of classic cars, you might imagine a Corvette Stingray, a Mustang Fastback or Dodge Charger.

But not Gord Pease.

The car enthusiast from Woodstock, Ont., went all in for a black and white, 1981 Plymouth Gran Fury that was once an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) cruiser.

After two decades of logging thousands of kilometres driving it to car shows and festivals, Pease has put his beloved car up for sale.

“It’s a very rare piece of history, that’s for sure, and I say that knowing there’s very few of them left,” Pease told Afternoon Drive host Allison Devereaux.

Pease first spotted the vehicle abandoned in a field along Highway 400 in the early 2000s. He’d owned one previously as a teenager, and knew it was a rare find.

Pease tracked down the owner, bought it and began work on restoring the vehicle. To start, the roof was rusted and rotten, so Pease had to search at a junkyard to find a replacement.

“It’s a fantastic body job that I have on it,” he said. “It’s probably better now than it would have been [at] two-years-old when it was new.”

Popular in movies

It’s very rare to see a surviving Plymouth Gran Fury, said Lewis Thaw, owner of Canadian Classic Auto Supply in Vancouver. He’s been collecting and restoring classic cars for more than 35 years. He said there are “very few” owned by the public.

About 2,000 of the cars were made between 1980 and 1981, he said. But they were a popular choice for destroying in film productions like The Blues Brothers.

The vehicle is rare based on “its vintage and provenance alone,” AutoTrader confirmed to CBC News in an email.

“As soon as they were done for police duty, they were in the film industry and they got destroyed,” Thaw said.

“I think it’s fantastic that someone took the time to actually keep one and cherish one and look after one long enough to make it this far.”

In the years since rebuilding the vehicle, Pease has travelled across North America bringing it to car shows. He’s been to Dallas for the America Show which featured 75 antique cars following the parade route where John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

He’s trekked to Kansas City and Indianapolis, where he visited the Indy 500 track. He’s also a regular in the annual Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, only missing it three times in 20 years, he said.

One of his fondest memories is using his vehicle as a limo replacement during the retirement ceremony for an OPP officer in Cambridge. Pease said the fellow car enthusiast was very happy with the surprise. 

“Just a look of delight on his face when they came out,” Pease said. “It was fantastic.” 

When asked who he would like to hand the keys to his prized possession to, Pease said he hoped a retired police officer with a love for cars would give him a call.

“I’ve had my fun for the last 20 some years … so it’s just time to move on to something else,” he said.