Retired Officer Donates 1963 Police Car to Museum

A former officer gave a restored 1963 Plymouth Savoy police car replica to the Detroit Police Museum during an October 30 ceremony.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Law Enforcement

Vintage Plymouth station wagon with folded rear seats and stretchers in its cargo area, parked in a brick-walled museum hall. — Retired Detroit officer George Patak donated his restored 1963 Plymouth Savoy police car replica to the Detroit Police Museum during an October 30 ceremony. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Retired police officer George Patak donated his 1963 Plymouth Savoy police car replica to the Detroit Police Museum at a small ceremony attended by family members and fellow officers. The car was modified to resemble 1960s Detroit Police station wagons.

Why it matters

The vehicle preserves a visual link to Detroit's past police and emergency transport practices, including the era when police station wagons carried patients to hospitals before Detroit EMS was founded. Its donation places the car in public circulation rather than private storage.

The car was formally transferred to the Detroit Police Museum on October 30, 2026, at public safety headquarters, and will not be displayed publicly at the museum. Its future appearances in 2027 remain tentative, with additional events yet to be announced.

The players

George Patak

A retired police officer who served at Wayne State University and the Ann Arbor Police before donating his restored 1963 Plymouth Savoy to the Detroit Police Museum.

Detroit Police Museum

The museum that received the car and is housed in Detroit's police headquarters, preserving the department's history.

Patty Kukula

The executive director of the Detroit Public Safety Foundation, which supports public safety initiatives in the city.

The details

Patak acquired the Plymouth Savoy from an East Coast buyer after it had passed through U.S. Air Force and fire department service. The rear seats fold down and two stretchers are placed in the cargo area to recreate the patient-transport configuration of the original Detroit station wagons.

1972: Detroit EMS is founded, ending police station wagon patient transport.
1978 to 1985: Patak serves as an officer at Wayne State University.
1985 to 2005: Patak serves with the Ann Arbor Police.
October 30, 2026: The car is presented to the Detroit Police Museum at headquarters.
2027: The car is scheduled for appearances, including the Detroit St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Legal Context

Detroit's police station wagons transported patients until the 1972 founding of Detroit EMS, a transition that reflects how cities separated policing from emergency medical response. The donated Plymouth Savoy now preserves that operational shift as a museum artifact.

Residents can see the restored vehicle at 2027 public events rather than inside the museum, which remains closed to public display of the car. The donation keeps a working example of 1960s Detroit police equipment visible to the community.

The takeaway

Preserving functional vehicles from a city's past gives residents a tangible way to connect with how public services once operated. Local museums and foundations rely on donated artifacts like this one to keep that history accessible.

What happens next

The car is scheduled to appear at the Detroit St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Ferndale Emergency Vehicle Show in 2027, though these dates should be confirmed with event organizers.