Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 24, 2020 A police car that everyone will love Local businessmen give a special gift to town: Saugus Police Car 66, a restored and remodeled police cruiser By Mark E. Vogler A fter driving by that attractive antique police car parked on the lawn in front of the Middleton Police Station many times over the years, Armene Missakiane fi gured that the town he lived in and loved deserved one, too. SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY Call for a Quote 617-387-7466 Or email Rocco@sabatino-ins.com We cover: * Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available It took a few years to fi nd the right car, restore and rebuild it and convert it into a police cruiser that would become a signature part of the Saugus Police Department fl eet. But after several years of hunting for parts and untold hours working on the 1966 Ford Galaxie 500, fourdoor sedan – a special police car now belongs to the people of Saugus. Missakiane, who is president of A.M. Detail, Inc. of Salem Turnpike, and his partner, Moisey Brailovskiy, made the formal gift presentation of Car 66 at Wednesday night’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting held by Zoom videoconferencing. Selectmen were thrilled with the gift “I want to thank you very much for doing this for our town. We sincerely appreciate it,” Selectman Debra Panetta said. “Adding this beautiful vehicle to our fl eet is just such a treasure,” she added. “What made you decide to build this car and to donate it to our town?” Panetta asked. Missakiane mentioned the http://www.sabatino-ins.com SABATINO 564 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 617-387-7466 Hours of Operation are: Mondays - Fridays 9am to 5pm Saturdays by appointment only Middleton police cruiser, Car 54, as the “personal” motivator. “Make one for the town and make it better than anyone else,” he said. “It’s from our hearts to the town,” Brailovskiy, a Lynn resident, chimed in. He said he hoped to see it used at parades and prominently displayed. “I’m sure it will be a big hit with everyone in town,” Selectman Michael Serino said. THIS ONE’S FOR SAUGUS: Armen Missakiane and Moisey Brailovskiy of A.M. Detail, Inc. of Saugus presented this restored and remodeled 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 – which they made into an old-fashioned police cruiser – as a gift for the town. (Courtesy photos to The Saugus Advocate) It cost two years and $40,000 to build Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano, in an interview later, called the car “amazing” while lauding its creators. “I’ve been watching the progress since I was elected in November. They did an outstanding job with the car. Everything about the vehicle is mint condition with original parts,” Cogliano said. “They did add some modern conveniences, like power steering, brakes and air-conditioning. They also installed a modern siren system. I can’t wait to get the fi rst ride in it. Armene and Moisey are true gentlemen and went above and beyond with this restoration. On behalf of the Town of Saugus, I commend them for a job well done.” Selectman Jeff rey Cicolini noted the car would be ideal for parade as well as education. He suggested the construction of a special board that would be inscribed with the car’s history and what the men did to restore it. Selectmen Vice Chair Corinne Riley said the town will get a lot of use out of the old vehicle. “The classic cars – there’s just no replacing them,” Riley said. In an interview Wednesday night, Missakiane said he and Brailovskiy found the car several years ago at an auction in the Atlanta, Ga., area. “It took about two years and $40,000 to restore and rebuild it,” he said. “We had to restore the engine, the transmission and other units. The car was not salvaged. It had sustained a fire under the hood. But the rest of the car was okay,” he said. “When we found the car at auction, I told the town manager [Scott C. Crabtree], and he supported us and passed us on to the Police Department. Former Chief [Domenic] DiMella approved the project and we started work on it at my shop at 20 Salem Turnpike.” Jacobo Deleon, an employee at A.M. Detail, Inc., was also involved in the project. There is a good reason why Missakiane and Brailovskiy went great distances to fi nd the right car, which was a private vehicle that wasn’t used for police work. “Vehicles down there [in the southern part of the country] are not as corroded as much as up here. Maybe they have fi ve percent rust,” Missakiane said. “We restored everything to brand-new condition, and we put heavy rust-proofi ng on it. This particular vehicle was very diffi cult to work on because no body parts were available. We spent a lot of time to locate the correct parts,” he said. “Every single bolt and nut on that vehicle was cleaned up. Every single piece on that vehicle was restored.” From Russia with love came the car clock The car has 72,000 original miles on it. The restoration work involved trips to Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and other states to fi nd suitable parts to replace worn-out ones and to add to the car. Missakiane, a Saugus resident since 2007, is of Armenian descent and immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1995. He used his Russian connections to fi nd a suitable clock for the car. “The clock in the vehicle wasn’t working, so I called one of my friends in Russia,” Missakiane said. “He shipped me a clock from Russia that is the same as what’s used in Russian police cruisers.” Car 66 – named after the year it was built – was fi nally completed about a month ago. Now Missakiane hopes the Police Department will fi nd a 22-foot-by10-foot spot to park it. The car is 15 feet long and 6 feet wide. He has off ered to garage it at his shop on Route 107 during the wintertime if the town needs a place to store it. “We love the town. We do respect the older citizens. This gift is for everyone who lives in Saugus,” Missakiane said. “Originally, when we started this project, we said that when we fi nished it, we would dedicate it to the Town of Saugus – not just the Police Department – so, here’s to Saugus.”
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