Patrolling for a gift

Newport Beach car collector Lloyd Ikerd searched for several years for a car he could convert into a replica of a 1950s Newport Beach Police patrol car before he recently came across a 1951 Ford Custom, four-door sedan at an auction.

Ikerd picked up the old car for $7,500 — a steal, he says. Now he wants help fixing it up to donate to the Newport Beach Police Department. He hopes to raise $12,500 for the project.

Ikerd envisions the completed shiny, black-and-white squad car will have chrome trim, a real police radio that matches the equipment used by the department at the time, vintage police lights and an old-fashioned mechanical siren, called a “growler.”

The completed car will be used to promote the police department in community parades and other local events.

“I think the police have a tough job taking care of everybody. They’re always doing something for us and sticking their necks out,” Ikerd said. “Every day they’re taking a risk. I just appreciate what they do, and this is an opportunity to thank them and give them something they’ll be able to use for years to come.”

The car Ikerd purchased originally sat in Fredericksburg, Va., for more than 50 years before an Orange County collector bought it. The car only has about 63,000 original miles on it.

“Somebody took really good care of it,” Ikerd said.

The black, four-door sedan is almost an exact match to the 20 Fords the Newport Beach Police Department purchased from Theodore Robbins Ford on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa in 1951, Ikerd said.

“I drove it on the freeway just to see if there are any kinks in it, and it runs great,” he said.

The police department has been pitching in to help on the restoration project, digging around in its archives for old photographs of what a police car would have looked like in 1951.

The department’s senior mechanic also has helped prepare the car for a black-and-white paint job, which will match what the cars looked like in 1951.

“We have a significant archive of photographs of police cars and uniforms dating back to when the city was formed,” said Newport Beach Police Dept. Capt. Tom Gazsi. “As a result of the archives, were able to determine what the cars looked like, the paint scheme, the type of emergency equipment they had. Every effort is being made to replicate what a car in 1951 would have looked like.”

Ikerd and the police department are still digging around to find old photographs to determine what the city seal painted on the police car doors would have looked like in 1951.

“In these economic times, we’re flattered that someone would be interested in doing something like this for community and organization,” Gazsi said.

HOW TO HELP

Tax-deductible checks may be made to:

City of Newport Beach, Police Car Project

3300 Newport Blvd.

Newport Beach CA 92658

Reporter BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.