‘A true legend’: How a retired Elgin police car found new life — and a dose of fame — in Germany

The old Mount Prospect police cruiser featured in “The Blues Brothers” may be the suburbs’ most famous retired patrol vehicle, but Jake and Elwood’s ride may have some competition overseas.

Elgin police car #888 — a decommissioned 2009 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor — has become a local celebrity in northeastern Germany, thanks to the restoration efforts of its proud owner and American car enthusiast, Tim Lindemann.

“I drive the Crown Vic once or twice a week to keep it in top shape. The amount of interest it generates is massive,” Lindemann told us this week via email from his hometown of Übach-Palenberg, located on Germany’s border with the Netherlands.

“Whenever I pull into a gas station or grab a milkshake at McDonald's, people smile and say: ‘Wow, it's so well-preserved! Is it a real police car?’ Others say: ‘If this car could talk, it would have some incredible stories to tell,’” he continued. “I constantly get thumbs-up from other drivers, and people always want to take photos.”

Lindemann, 27, came to love American cars as a child, during annual trips to his grandparents’ winter home in Pompano Beach, Florida. The first U.S.-made car he bought was a 1997 Lincoln Town Car, similar to the ‘96 Town Car his grandfather drove on their road trips in the States.

“I have always loved American cars — the chrome, the incredibly comfortable seats, the sheer size, and their unique presence. These cars have character and charisma,” he wrote us.

One night in 2022, while watching an American movie with his father — who owns the auto dealership where Lindemann works as a salesman — he mused about acquiring a U.S. police cruiser. The next day, father and son set about to make it happen. After days of scanning sale ads, they came across what they were looking for just a few villages away.

Elgin PD #888 was rusting away, unused and unregistered in a driveway. Its owner wasn’t sure exactly how it had come to be in Germany, only that it had been purchased through an auction, imported from the U.S. and driven by someone in the southern part of the country for a few years.

“When my dad and I inspected it, we saw that rust had started to take hold,” Lindemann wrote us. “However, owning a dealership and a workshop — and having great connections to bodywork professionals — we weren't intimidated. We negotiated a price and bought it.”

After a painstaking restoration — cleaning, welding, filling rust holes and returning the lights to working order — #888 was ready to roll.

“That first drive was unforgettable. Pedestrians stopped and stared, and as the driver, I enjoyed every single second of the ride, the size, and the handling,” Lindemann wrote.

In the years since, #888 has gained a following around Übach-Palenberg and elsewhere in Germany, where the Crown Victoria is “the definitive American police car — everyone knows it from movies, documentaries, and video games. It is a true legend,” Lindemann told us.

Instagram and TikTok social media accounts dedicated to the car have thousands of followers, and it pulls in crowds when it appears at car shows. It’s been featured in the local carnival parade — the Karnevalsumzug — where crowds dress up and celebrate in the streets.

“So many children dressed as police officers wanted photos with it, and their parents were just as fascinated,” Lindemann wrote. “Even our local German police and emergency services know the car, think it's incredibly cool, and love seeing an authentic U.S. patrol car in the area.”

While special occasions and adoring crowds are great, one of Lindemann’s favorite traditions with #888 are Friday night drives with a friend, sharing good conversation, good music and the experience of driving “such a unique piece of American history.”

Speaking of history, Lindemann said his ownership of the car has spurred a deep interest in learning more about Elgin and its police department. He’s been in contact with department officials and calls it a dream to one day visit them in person.

“I would love to meet the officers, see the department, and learn more about their daily work,” he wrote. “It would be an unforgettable experience to visit the place where Unit 888 once served.”

Is Kane County violating First Amendment?

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking that question, in light of a county judge’s order creating “free speech areas” outside county courthouses.

Chief Judge Robert Villa issued the order last month amid growing tensions between protesters and federal agents seen making immigration-related arrests at the county judicial campus in St. Charles.

The order limits protesters to a grassy area 100 feet away from the building’s entrance.

In a letter last week to Villa, State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and Undersheriff Amy Johnson, the ACLU wrote that the order raises fundamental constitutional questions.

Rebecca Glenberg, chief litigation counsel for the First Amendment at the ACLU of Illinois, noted that people who observe immigration agents’ actions at the courthouse have faced questioning, and ID and license plate checks by sheriff’s deputies.

“Government at any level cannot attempt to limit speech with which they disagree (or) find inconvenient,” Glenberg wrote. “We hope that these activists may continue observing and documenting government actors without interference.”

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