Montreal Police Renault fleet of Youth Squad cars were a thing for a while in the 60s here seen near city hall.
The large dark warehouse burned down around 1996 and has been replaced by condos. The more modern light-coloured bldg to the left was demolished recently to make way for the French super-hospital. The "taverne" bldg on the extreme left was demolished to make way for the Ville Marie extension eastwards.
Was this the Renault Dauphin? I remember that car. Used to see a few Peugeots and Citroens 'round town too.
ReplyDeletePeabody
R8
DeleteI'm still trying to visualize where this was precisely.
ReplyDeleteIt's the east side of the Champ de Mars area behind Montreal City Hall.
ReplyDeletehttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Champ_de_Mars_%28Montr%C3%A9al%29.JPG
It's a public park now. Twenty-five years ago, it was largely a parking lot, until the original Montreal fortifications were discovered and it became an historical site.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Champ_de_mars_Montreal.JPG
Not sure if it was the Renault Dauphin. I'll ask some oldtimers at HQ tomorrow.
So those buildings were in front of the municipal courthouse? That's one of my favourite buildings in town, love the way the sun shines on it in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
ReplyDeleteActually, those buildings are to the left of the municipal courthouse, if you're looking at the courthouse front door on (775)Gosford.
That bldg was attached to the former Montreal Police HQ at 750 Bonsecours. In those years, everything from the 2nd floor up was Montreal Police, with the holding cells up on the 5th floor.
Second and third floors housed Homicide, Armed Robbery and Ident. squads. The big brass were mostly on the 4th floor. PR dept. was in the basement, with a street entrance on the north side of the bldg.
Ah-h-hh, the good old days.
For PEABODY: I looked at some other pics I have of the Renault, and they seem to be Renault 10 models, circa 1966-67.
Have also seen pics of Montreal PD Studebakers, which were also briefly used.
Thanks haroldro. I can still vaguely remember a Studebaker radio jingle.
ReplyDeletePeabody
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1657867_1657681,00.html
ReplyDeleteCorrection: Dauphine not Dauphin. I regret the error.
Peabody
The Renault cars were first used by the Youth Squads of Stations 16 and 17, which were located on the north side of Lafontaine Park (on Rachel) and St. Laurent/Laurier. Eventually, more Renaults were ordered for all the Youth Squads of all the stations.
ReplyDeleteI was wrong with my comment about them not performing well in winter. The cold weather conditions were not a problem. They were very roomy, even for the bigger cops, with lots of headroom.
In Aug. 1969, a group of 19 Quebec Youth Squad police officers/educators, including 5 from the Montreal PD, did a "stage" in Paris. They brought along two of the Montreal Police Renault cars, causing quite a sensation on the Paris streets.
(The Dauphine was a round car — Google is your friend).
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember those.
There were also unmarked cars, too, with guys in black suits with huge moustaches.
So one day, one of those pulls next to the schoolyard. I must have been 7 or 8, and I went to ask them “are you secret police”???
They said “yes”…
The dark brick building burned down some years ago; when it did so, it raised concerns as the blaze heat was endengering the 911 central which was right besides it.
ReplyDeleteThose Renaults in the photo are not the Dauphine. They look like the R8 model.
ReplyDeleteRenault actually had a manufacturing plant on the south shore, but eventually closed it down, later to be replaced by Hyundai--which didn't last that much longer.
In the late 50s early 60s there were many more British and other European-brand cars on the road here than there are today. Remember Vauxhall, Morris, Triumph, Skoda, etc.
Presumably, many models had problems dealing with our harsh winters--an issue which the Japanese seemed to have solved.
emdx:
ReplyDeleteI remember that fire very well. The Montreal PD Ident. Section commander had his office on the northwest corner of 775 Gosford, across rue St. Louis from the burning bldg. His office suffered much smoke, heat (scorched and melted window frames) and water damage.
I photographed his gutted office. Have the pics around somewhere.
One victim of that fire was a lovely wooden walkway/terrace on the roof of 775 Gosford, built for the bldg. staff, during the Dir. Duchesneau era. Mainly used for a quick smoke, or lunch with a view. Damaged so badly it had to be demolished.