719:"If you drive down the A20 between London and Maidstone, keep a careful eye on the four–wheel boys ... Because there are several police patrols in the area disguised as normal vehicles. Watch out particularly for a black daimler SP250 sports car and a green Farina A40 ... I've no doubt that these police 'Q-cars'—the Daimler particularly—pick up dozens of offenders every day ... Everyone concerned in any way with motoring should clamour against 'Q-cars' and hidden radar traps, too." Accessed 2014-02-16
315:. In addition to looking modest, a sleeper car may sometimes appear to be a "beater" — a car that is in a visibly poor condition due to seeming neglect and lack of maintenance on the owner's part — though this is intentional and commonly described as "all go and no show"; these cars are internally modified to achieve very competitive levels of performance while being presented as a standard or neglected car. The American name for this type of vehicle comes from the term
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racing engine. However, these cars lose their "sleeper value" due to both their rarity (this series was highly luxurious; it was made in limited numbers and examples are very expensive), and the well publicized successes of
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note. Gauges and instrumentation are often kept to a minimum. Some owners go as far as to use weight reduction techniques employed by other performance enthusiasts, removing items not fundamental to
434:, the engine was the first in a production passenger car to be rated at 300 hp (220 kW), and was by a comfortable margin the most powerful in American cars of the time. By 1957, with the
311:) is a car that boasts high performance while having an unassuming exterior. Sleepers are usually developed on the platform of a non-athletic class of vehicle, most often that of an
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were only produced in black in very small numbers (~300) starting from 1985. In Post-Soviet Russia the practice was discontinued, with special services acquiring imported cars.
590:, leaving the external appearance as it came from the factory. Sometimes hints of the car's true nature are visible: wider tires, a lower stance, or a different engine tone or
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was a powerful sedan with a subdued exterior. A trend of overtly powerful saloon cars with subtle body modifications is exemplified by the work of
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into a 'Q' car par excellence" in a highlight of the high-performance
Cortina's unassuming exterior. Likewise, in the 1956 British film
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modifications: GAZ-24-24, -25, -34 and -35, over 2000 mostly produced during 1970s and 1980s. GAZ-31012 and 31013 based on the
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of the 7th
Directorate. After the M-20 was discontinued, 603 GAZ-23 cars were produced in 1962-1970, combining modified
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and special-purpose equipment. Those, as well as their successors, were available either in black color (sometimes in
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carried an announcement from editor Bill
Lawless of the use of two unmarked police "Q-cars" — a black
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by night, indicating that it was in use among
British law enforcement at least a decade earlier.
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engine and transmission, better brakes and KGB equipment. They were followed by similar
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788:"Sleepers: Biggest wolves in sheep's clothing cars - Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (1968)"
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The car which is most often credited as the start of the production Q-car trend in
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690:"How the 'Q-Car' Term for a Sleeper Car Was Inspired By the British Royal Navy"
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817:"Sleepers: Biggest wolves in sheep's clothing cars - Lancia Thema 8.32 (1986)"
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620:"1994 Honda Accord EX - Sleepers: A Modern Day Wolf In Sheep's Clothing"
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racing (1955–1956); though the model is an important precursor of the
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228:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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803:"Fly Under the Radar With This Ferrari-Engined '80s Lancia Sedan"
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755:"10 Classic Sleeper Cars That Can Still Annihilate Sports Cars"
831:"1990-2020: THIRTY YEARS OF THE GROUND-BREAKING LOTUS CARLTON"
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846:"Hybrid How-To: CB/CD (4G/5G) Accord Chassis with H22 Engine"
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as "one of the weirder sleepers to come out of the 1980s".
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in the United States), the term is used in reference to
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Car that has high performance and an unassuming exterior
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641:"Sport Compact Car Terms & Phrases - Information"
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road police livery) for the security details of the
122:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
30:For a train carriage with sleeping facilities, see
770:"Stealth weapons: the 101 best Q-cars of all time"
736:"Q-Car Queue: The Best Automotive Sleeper Agents"
319:, whereas the British name is derived from the
8:
44:"Q-car" redirects here. For other uses, see
538:cars equipped with adapted powertrain from
522:The first Q-car was invented by the Soviet
330:The British term has been in use since the
85:Learn how and when to remove these messages
667:. MotorBooks International. pp. 59–.
344:states: "the modifications carried out by
262:Learn how and when to remove this message
244:Learn how and when to remove this message
182:Learn how and when to remove this message
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578:Some vehicle owners create sleepers by
534:cars. After WWII they were replaced by
768:Gavin Braithwaite-Smith (2015-11-27).
284:, the high-performance version of the
37:For someone who sleeps in a car, see
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120:adding citations to reliable sources
622:. Honda Tuning Magazine. 2010-09-07
442:from the traditional luxury marque
411:with the 380 hp (280 kW)
429:331 in (5.4 L) FirePower
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282:third-generation Mercury Marauder
66:This article has multiple issues.
478:on unassuming Mercedes saloons.
334:. In the February 1963 issue of
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801:Silvestro, Brian (2019-08-06).
399:Beginnings in the Western world
373:In July 1964, British magazine
107:needs additional citations for
74:or discuss these issues on the
580:swapping more powerful engines
1:
753:Dennis Kariuki (2021-04-30).
340:magazine, British journalist
844:Hasson, Randy (April 2010).
688:Gilboy, James (2021-01-18).
550:or in common colors for the
391:, a road between London and
734:Jamie Kitman (2012-04-05).
224:the claims made and adding
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332:aftermath of World War II
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819:. Autocar. 2020-03-30.
790:. Autocar. 2020-03-30.
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46:Q car (disambiguation)
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364:unmarked police cars
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805:. Road & Track.
717:To deter or detect?
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518:In the Soviet Union
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558:body with slanted
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131:"Sleeper" car
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697:. Retrieved
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664:Chevrolet SS
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645:. Retrieved
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624:. Retrieved
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588:turbocharger
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472:Mercedes-AMG
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114:Please help
109:verification
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68:Please help
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32:sleeping car
504:Lotus Omega
440:luxury cars
337:Motor Sport
313:economy car
172:August 2010
852:2011-05-25
848:. Modified
757:. HotCars.
699:2023-06-12
647:2011-05-25
643:. Modified
626:2011-05-25
606:References
540:GAZ-12 ZIM
508:Opel Omega
461:muscle car
358:(known as
342:Bill Boddy
325:Royal Navy
218:improve it
142:newspapers
71:improve it
694:The Drive
536:GAZ M-20G
481:The 1986
466:The 1968
427:. With a
393:Maidstone
222:verifying
77:talk page
866:Category
617:Rodrez.
568:GAZ-3102
444:Chrysler
592:exhaust
321:Q-ships
297:sleeper
216:Please
156:scholar
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560:GAZ-13
556:GAZ-21
532:GAZ-M1
500:Europe
476:Brabus
457:NASCAR
368:London
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407:1958
346:Lotus
305:Q-car
303:) or
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18:Q-car
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600:trim
524:NKVD
474:and
436:300C
419:The
135:news
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118:by
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