Radar Detector Giant Mike Valentine Has Passed Away

by Chris Teague

Published: September 20th, 2024

radar detector giant mike valentine has passed away

If you’ve ever shopped for a radar detector, you’ve probably heard the name Valentine. One of the most well-known brands in the industry just lost its founder and namesake leader. Mike D. Valentine passed away at the age of 74 at his home.

Valentine’s legacy can’t be overstated. He founded the company that eventually developed the first Escort radar detectors before starting his company, and their first product, the Valentine V1, took the technology to a new level. That first radar detector stayed on sale for almost 30 years before the company developed the V1 Gen2, which promised military-grade technology and a sleeker design.

The original V1 broke new ground with a system that allowed drivers to see which direction the radar was coming from with arrows on the display. It also had an oscillating sweep feature that could pick up momentary radar blips across different frequencies.

Today, apps like Waze have made radar detectors seem obsolete, but they still have a place where they’re legal, at least. The apps rely on user input to map police speed checkpoints and other road hazards, and the data is only as good as the people entering it. They also do not offer real-time detection, so you could run afoul of an officer if they parked after the last app user passed by. Valentine’s Gen2 detector builds on that with longer-range detection and other advanced features.

[Images: Potashev Aleksandr via Shutterstock.com, sirtravelalot via Shutterstock.com, Sanchai Khudpin via Shutterstock.com]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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2 of 16 comments

Randy in rocklin on Sep 22, 2024
I forgot to mention that on my commutes to Travis AFB the CHP used to hangout on the country farm roads around the base. I could pick them up 2-3 miles out. I also love the directional arrows on whether they are in front or behind you.

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Eddie on Sep 22, 2024
What a legend. He was a staple in the automotive magazines with a full two page ad! My father bought the original Escort for our conversion van that we took on road trips. The thing was about the size of a modern external hard drive, so it was not discrete by any measure for cops peering through a radar scope zooming in on your dash. Anyway, after I got my driver's license and first car, I bought a smaller Passport and it saved me many times. Wanting even more stealth with no cord, I bought the Passport Solo, which I still have. It ran on a 9v battery and I always bought a lithium battery for extra life. It was well hidden suction cupped at the top of my rear view mirror against the windshield, and keeping it up that high in a low-sitting '88 Trans Am GTA gave it better downrange reading. It saved me even more tickets!

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Recent Comments

EBFlex Garbage but for less!
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RHD The speed limit was raised from 62.1 MPH to 68.3 MPH. It's a slight difference which will, more than anything, lower the fines for the guy caught going 140 KPH.
Msquare The argument for unlimited autobahns has historically been that lane discipline is a life-or-death thing instead of a suggestion. That and marketing cars designed for autobahn speeds gives German automakers an advantage even in places where you can't hope to reach such speeds. Not just because of enforcement, but because of road conditions. An old Honda commercial voiced by Burgess Meredith had an Accord going 110 mph. Burgess said, "At 110 miles per hour, we have found the Accord to be quiet and comfortable. At half that speed, you may find it to be twice as quiet and comfortable." That has sold Mercedes, BMW's and even Volkswagens for decades. The Green Party has been pushing for decades for a 100 km/h blanket limit for environmental reasons, with zero success.
Varezhka The upcoming mild-hybrid version (aka 500 Ibrida) can't come soon enough. Since the new 500e is based on the old Alfa Mito and Opel Adam platform (now renamed STLA City) you'd have thought they've developed the gas version together.