According to the ‘Word of God’ (the LAPD), the full call sign was “1 Adam 12”, where the first digit ‘1’ referred to Division (1 = Central Division);
‘Adam’ referred to the type of unit – in this case, an ‘A’ unit was a two-man vehicle;
and the ‘12’ referred to the assigned beat/patrol area (although the three-digit ID number on the roof of the vehicle was ‘012’, this had no bearing on the call sign)
In play:
Where the car is the star (Or is a central part of the show)
Knight Rider - KITT
The Dukes of Hazzard – The General Lee (1969 Dodge Charger)
My Mother the Car - a 1928 Porter, a.k.a. Gladys Crabtree, the mother
Batman - The Batmobile
Speed Racer - The Mach 5
Supercar - it can travel on land, or under the sea; it can journey anywhere
Adam-12 - the title is the call sign of the car the stars ride in
Starsky and Hutch – ‘Zebra Three’, a/k/a ‘The Striped Tomato’ … Starsky’s 1975 Ford Gran Torino
The police cars used in the series were central to the show; Webb “wanted the vehicle itself to be considered a character”.[6] As patrol officers, Malloy and Reed spent much of their time in their cruiser, and their time driving on patrol or responding to a call was central to most episodes.
“1-Adam-12” is an LAPD callsign that is a combination of three elements: the unit’s patrol division, the type of patrol unit, and the daily assigned reporting district.
Back to the game:
Where the car is the star (Or is a central part of the show)
Knight Rider - KITT
The Dukes of Hazzard – The General Lee (1969 Dodge Charger)
My Mother the Car - a 1928 Porter, a.k.a. Gladys Crabtree, the mother
Batman - The Batmobile
Speed Racer - The Mach 5
Supercar - it can travel on land, or under the sea; it can journey anywhere
Adam-12 - the title is the call sign of the car the stars ride in
Starsky and Hutch – ‘Zebra Three’, a/k/a ‘The Striped Tomato’ … Starsky’s 1975 Ford Gran Torino