SAUGUS — Frequent drivers along the Salem Turnpike may have noticed a classic police cruiser that often sits outside the garage of auto body and mechanic repair shop, A.M. Detail Inc.
The company’s president, Armen Missakiane, and his business partner, Moisey Brailovskiy, donated the car to the Saugus Police Department last summer after a nearly two-year-long effort to restore the 55-year-old vehicle to its former glory.
“We wanted to do something for the town,” Missakiane said.
Inspired by a similar car he saw outside a Middleton police station in 2018, Missakiane said the process of finding the perfect vehicle took several months and multiple trips out of state until one day he received a call from a New Hampshire dealer letting him know that a 1966 Ford Galaxie was being auctioned off in Georgia.
He and Brailovskiy quickly purchased the run-down car for $1,200 and began the long process of transforming it into a vintage Saugus cruiser.
Aside from considerable fire damage inside the vehicle’s hood, Missakiane said the dry southern climate kept the car in remarkably good condition. However, due to its age and body type, finding replacement parts to transform it into the police cruiser Missakiane envisioned would be next to impossible.
“We kept everything. No auto body parts were replaced. We had it restored because unfortunately it’s impossible to find the auto body parts for this vehicle,” he said. “We had to restore pretty much everything on it.”
Shop employees painted the once-blue vehicle black and white and added the words “Saugus Police” and “66” on the cruiser’s side, while Revere company ALL-COMM donated the car’s flashing blue light.
One external part that proved especially difficult to fix, however, was the windshield — a replacement for which Missakiane finally found in a junkyard last summer. He was thrilled to learn the new windshield even came with a 1978 Massachusetts state inspection sticker, which added to the car’s authenticity.
Finally, the classic cruiser was ready to go last July.
The gift was approved by the Board of Selectmen and, with the support of Town Manager Scott Crabtree and Assistant Police Chief Ronald Giorgetti, was delivered to the Saugus Police Department that same month.
However, because the department doesn’t currently have space to store the vehicle, it’ll spend its winters housed in the garage of A.M. Detail Inc.
When the weather is mild, Missakiane and Brailovskiy park the cruiser in front of their shop, where it draws curiosity from motorists as they pass over the Belden Bly Bridge.
“I have never been so nervous about any other vehicle,” Missakiane said. “This is a special vehicle and we keep our eyes on it all the time. Every second. No one knows it better than us.”
The car has caught the attention of more than just locals. Because the cruiser is such a rarity, Missakiane and Brailovskiy have received offers from multiple movie producers hoping to add the car to their film sets. Every single one has been turned away.
“Somebody told me some guy walked into the police station and offered $40,000 to buy this car,” Missakiane laughed. “They told him unfortunately they could not (sell) it because it’s a police vehicle. He walked away very upset.”
Destined to become a popular attraction at town events, the cruiser made its Saugus debut in December 2020, when Missakiane was given express permission by the department to drive it while leading the town’s annual Christmas parade.
Although the car has received considerable attention in the months following its donation, Missakiane is hopeful that it will remain a point of pride for the town for years to come.
“We did this for the people, not to gain some business,” he said. “It’s so everybody can be proud that the town of Saugus has this vehicle.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].