“In with the old – New Zealand Police Museum and Mitsubishi turn the clock forward on a classic”

On Thursday 15 February, the New Zealand Police Museum will be showcasing a refurbished and rejuvenated 1988 Mitsubishi V3000 patrol car after many months of restorative mechanical and body work.

The vehicle is to be displayed at Mitsubishi Motors, Todd Park, Porirua for the foreseeable future. 

The car’s career began with Upper Hutt’s Ministry of Transport Traffic Safety Service in 1988.

Police have two Mitsubishi cars in the museum collection, both of which were part of the Ministry of Transport fleet that came across to New Zealand Police in 1992. 

The merger of the two enforcement agencies is historically significant.

The historic vehicle collection has a number of vehicles with the original Ministry of Transport (MoT) livery, however this vehicle, licence plate number NX710, in the MoT colours of black and white and with New Zealand Police branding, is quite special. 

“This car represents the story of the people, cars, and motorcycles that came across to New Zealand Police from the Ministry of Transport in 1992.

It wasn’t just a physical transition but a challenge for traffic officers to become police officers, and likewise a challenge for police to learn and effectively enforce road rules and safety,” explains New Zealand Police Museum Director, Rowan Carroll. 

It was rolled off the production line in Porirua in 1988 and fitted out by Mitsubishi team member Lloyd Robinson.

The 2023 glow-up with modern greasepaint has been the responsibility of long-time employee Lloyd, who has been with Mitsubishi long enough to see the V3000 launch.

Warren Brown, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand says “Having spent 42 years working on Mitsubishi vehicles including engineering details for the local assembly plant made this job a real pleasure for Lloyd Robinson our recently retired Technical Services Manager.

Over the course of four months the car has been significantly stripped and cleaned to refurbish the Police V3000 into a high-quality museum display artefact.

The car has deliberately been left to reflect its genuine front-line workload for the Police while being presented in near new condition,” he says.

Rowan continues “ Towards the end of last year Mitsubishi Motors approached the New Zealand Police Museum to view the Mitsubishi vehicles in Police’s historic vehicle fleet.

The team were really excited to see the 1988 V3000 model –  ‘the legendary Flying Wedge’.

Mitsubishi suggested they would like to refurbish the car and the New Zealand Police Museum team were eager to accept their generous offer.

It’s  also fitting that Lloyd is the man to bring the car back to life,” she says.