Question
OPD
Dear Sir,
I would like to post the attached photograph in our police department lobby. I would also like to post the year, make, and model. Can you please help me by identifying this vehicle?
Thank you
Officer Lawrence Parzygnat Jr.
Answer
1929 Chevrolet Interna 
1929 Chevrolet Interna
Answer Revision:
Officer Parzygnat,
In thumbing through my old car magazines, I found a vehicle that more closely matches your picture and also makes more sense (to me) to be running around in your area in the thirties.
My revised identification is that your first police car was a 1929 Chevrolet International Model AC. This makes more sense to me as it is a six cylinder car that could be serviced by your local Chevrolet dealer.
An interesting side fact was that the engine powering this car was in it's second year of production run that lasted another 55 years! This famous engine was affectionately called the "Stovebolt Six" and named for the type of fasteners holding the engine together which were similar to those used in a household stove of that period.
This car competed directly against the Model A of the same period but offered vastly smoother operation and slightly more horsepower (45 vs 40 on the A) but which was quickly improved so that by the early thirties, rating increased to 60HP. The development of the Ford V8 of 1932 can be directly attributable to the market threat of the Stovebolt Six.
I've attached a photo of a restored car to help folks identify what the car really looked like. I hope my error has not inconvenienced you excessively and apologize for the error.
Best Regards,
Bob Russell
Hello Officer Parzygnat,
The picture identification was quite a challenge as it was only one view and clearly did not match a Model A Ford, the most common rural police cars used in the thirties.
(The big Packards, Cadillacs and Lincolns you see in the old gangster films were mostly found in large cities, on the premise that for police to catch a gangster, they needed the same equipment. Imagine trying to justify buying a Cadillac CTS to the City council on the same premise today!)
I believe the car in your picture is a 1929 Nash Standard, Model 463, 2 door Standard Six sedan. Puzzled?? I was too until I did some more research. Nash was a very well respected manufacturer of mid-priced cars from the late teens to mid-1950's. The company's product then became Rambler/ American Motors (AMC) surviving until the late '80s when they were purchased by Chrysler.
In an era when speed was measured by engine size, a six was better than a four, an 8 was better than a six and so on. While I could not find a Nash dealer in town during that period, (There were only Ford and Chevrolet dealers then in Okeechobee), Nash 6's were known for their durability and power thus making them an excellent police pursuit vehicle. (Factories did not make special police pursuits back then so local police simply added the then new mobile radio, siren and livery/markings, then hit the road!) Thus, a Nash could outrun most cars then on the road and only met it's match when the Ford V8 was introduced in 1932. (Ford V8's were John Dillinger's favorites during his crime spree, going so far as to writing a letter of satisfaction to Henry Ford! Unfortunately, Dillinger "borrowed" most of his cars!)
I hope this information meets your needs and that the backgrounder helps explain why your early colleagues would have been proud to drive this particular vehicle. And, if you really get ambitious, these Nash cars are still available in decent shape for restoration at a reasonable price.
Best Regards,
Bob Russell
