For a automobile that did not have a long initial life the 1982 Grand Marquis apparently was a popular car then - and now - for criminal elements and for authors and movie makers portraying criminals. The older vehicle reflected that whole 'land yacht' days of cheap gasoline and long road trips on low speed roads. It was roomy, comfy and just looked perfectly designed to haul crime friends, stolen goods or dead bodies. Author Giles Blunt in 2011 included such an item in his 'Crime Machine' novel featuring the fictitious character of Cardinal, John. True life criminals often were reported driving such autos as well. Among them are the fact that when Timothy McVeigh, was caught he was driving a beat up yellow Mercury Grand Marquis and numerous such vehicles crop up over the years, just as it did in this murder in Texas.
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| Older version from early 1980's (Public Domain Image) |
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| Newer version is nice but lacks the sinister aspect of the earlier model - intentional? (Public Domain Image) |
Do such vehicles reflect certain drives (no pun intended), mindset, or motivations to meet some social expectation? Cars are often the extension of a man's masculinity and sometimes men will equate their own 'prowess' with that of high speed engines, powerful transmissions, and unrestricted speed. Perhaps a new field of criminal research will explore the pathology of the automobile selection by the criminally inclined.
Do you know of such cars used in unsolved crimes in your area of the world over the last forty years? Leave a comment with place, date range and as many details as known.
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