From April 21 to 24, 2022, visitors to Retro Classics Stuttgart can look forward to a particularly exciting historical foray: the special show "Historic Police Special Vehicles" at the Stuttgart Police Museum will feature rolling milestones in police history.
Everyone probably has such images in their head: brightly lit accident scenes, wild pursuits, escalated demonstrations or rioting by opposing soccer fans. For police forces on duty, vehicles - from patrol cars to armored vehicles - are always an essential element of their often dangerous everyday work. In the "Historic Police Special Vehicles" exhibition at the Stuttgart Police Museum, visitors to Retro Classics 2022 can expect an exciting journey through the eventful history of modern police work (hall 7, stand no. C53).
Broad range of tasks
"The range of tasks performed by the police is very, very broad, which is also reflected in their vehicles, which are both a means of deployment and a workplace," says Jürgen Hauber from the Polizeihistorischer Verein Stuttgart e.V., which runs the museum in Hahnemannstraße. Of particular interest are the special vehicles that are rarely shown due to lack of space, which can now be seen exclusively at Retro Classics. They are pleased "that we have succeeded in securing these highlights for the museum and preserving them as contemporary witnesses on wheels", because "decommissioned police vehicles are generally sold at public auction and are highly sought-after due to their good maintenance. Special vehicles in particular often have few kilometers and can be easily converted or used for commercial purposes." One of the vehicles shown in the special exhibition will also be auctioned off after the trade fair.
Back to the eighties
The historical journey through police history takes us back to the 1980s, when new vehicle types were developed in response to changing police challenges. According to Hauber, all of the vehicles on display have a special connection to Stuttgart, be it "the prisoner car, in which many a rioting soccer fan could only listen to his club's game in the mobile holding cell, or the loudspeaker car, which was the voice of the Stuttgart police with its announcements. Many visitors will recognize the armoured SW4 as one of the vehicles that was regularly seen in the area of the Stuttgart Stammheim prison during the RAF era."
More recent memories are evoked by a water cannon, whose identical cousin was used during the Stuttgart21 protests, or the patrol car destroyed during the so-called Stuttgart riot night - "as a memorial to the potential for violence that the police are confronted with". The rarest exhibit in the exhibition is a TM170, 290 of which were delivered to German and international police forces. "We will be showing everything this 'wheeled tank' can do in detail at our stand," promises Hauber.
In addition to amazement and excitement, the special exhibition is also intended to convey a message, explains Hauber, who himself looks back on a long career as a senior police officer: "In a constitutional state, the police were and are an indispensable guarantor of public safety. They need the necessary equipment for their work, but also the support of politicians and society. The officers stand up for law and order, which is why the special exhibition should also be a thank you to them."
Further information can be found on the Retro Classics website.
