The Fox Body Mustang, The Plymouth Belvedere, The Flathead Ford
These are some of the most bad-ass and revered names in hot rodding,
but you might be surprised to hear that they were also,
*Music* Woop Woop, That's the sound of the Police
Cop cars? Police cruisers play a large role in American society and pop culture as their place in films
Television and the news have cemented the black and white rides in our collective consciousness. *Movie Scene* It's got a cop motor,
It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. Here's how some of America's coolest cars were put in the line of duty
The first police car ever used was in Akron Ohio. It was bought by city authorities in 1899
The Collins buddy company made a car for around $2,400
adjusted for inflation and the first police car cost 65 G's in today's money.
Two four horsepower electric motors powered the battery run vehicle
the police car had a blistering top speed of around 16 mph and a 30 mile range
suck on that Tesla. It also had headlights and a cell for captured troublemakers
it was the first horseless police vehicle ever used in the US and it could fit 12 people or a
Squad of officers. It's a squad car! it carried the whole squad!
Akron Police used for the squad car to transport large amounts of officers to problem areas before then
They had to use horse-drawn wagons, or walk
the invention of the squad car changed police mobility overnight the 15 year stretch of prohibition from
1918 to 1933 is when police departments really started to see the necessity of the squad car
Outlaws hoping to make easy money running hooch would use hopped up automobiles to transport and maybe get in a few shootouts along the way
The police couldn't rely on vehicles like the Akron squad car or contemporary gas-powered cars like the Model T
They were completely obsolete at this point
There was an arms race between the police and organized crime to see who could have the fastest car and the gangsters were winning
Turns out crime does pay in full for some pretty sweet rides
So all these police departments needed a fast car to match these guys
But the Depression had wiped out their budgets
So it also needed to be cheap fast and cheap don't really go together
But Ford had a solution the model 18 this model V variant was particularly
Attractive with its savage (for the time) flathead v8 under the hood
This is the same engine that early hot rodders used in their builds. And now the police have it too
The arms race was a little more even police can now keep up with the moonshiners and do their jobs
After prohibition ended booze runners still built up their cars but started taking them to the track instead in NASCAR was born
after world war two, improved radios communications
Meant you could put an officer in a car with a radio and patrol a much wider area
When police would walk a beat you could just run up and grab an officer if he needed them
but now that they were in cars it meant that they needed a way to let people know there was police inside
and to help civilians easily identify them the police started experimenting with paint schemes
most cars arrived to departments in just black or white finishes the officers decided to add the
the officers decided to add the opposite color on top of whatever they got to complete the look
white or black paint is also really cheap so that helped
the end result is the standard scheme we know today the black and white
the contrast helps it stand out and it's instantly recognizable as a police vehicle
So why are cop cars in Britain so brightly colored by comparison?
Many European emergency vehicles use something called battenberg marking
super high visibility paint jobs that minimize the risk of road accidents and alert the populace to the presence of emergency responders
they basically do the same thing as our black and whites but in a flashier way
Our cops wanted to be distinguishable without completely standing out but in Europe
They want everyone to know they're a cop from hundreds of metres away
Back in America, it's the 60s and police cars of the era are reflecting America's obsession with speed
And one company was dominating the police market: Chrysler.
How'd they rule a segment? A little bit of friendly competition
Even though selling cars to the police makes up a small amount of business for manufacturers
landing a big sale to a well-known law enforcement agency like the
NYPD or LAPD can pay off huge dividends in free marketing
after all if a car is tough enough for the cops then it's probably tough enough for you, too
Chrysler loved pitting its brands against each other in the 60s
they did it in NASCAR and they would do it with the police car market too
Plymouth and Dodge were akin to jealous children
Whatever one got the other one wanted even more
it was a never-ending battle for Chrysler friends because whoever got more sales got more money for their projects
tit for tat warfare ensued as they both raced to net the same customer groups, including the police
1965 Dodge Polara pursuit used the 413 cubic inch max wedge v8 that pulled quarter miles in 15 seconds
which was very impressive for the time four years later a monstrosity was born the
1969 Polara pursuit rolled around with a
375 horsepower seven point two liter 440 Magnum engine and was an absolute tank. This was one staunch puppy
It was the same Polaris suit that held the record for the highest top speed of any Chrysler cop car at the company's Chelsea proving grounds oval
147 miles an hour. That's an impressive speed for an American 4-door today
but especially for one from the 60s similar to the 69 Polara the
Similar to the '69 Polara, the 1970 dodge Coronet was powered by the very same hard to kill Magnum 440 engine
The Coronet featured an aggressive grille and
headlights set that made it look like it. Wanted to eat you alive
in 1968 Plymouth revamped their styling and the Belvedere pursuit was born
Big, clean, and super mean, the Belvedere was a rear-wheel drive law enforcement machine
The police version of the Belvedere sedan had a winning combination of power and affordability
For police in cities and large towns it was almost perfect combination
The Belvedere police package was so capable that it caught the eye of muscle car enthsusiasts
The police were getting this badass street king and the public wanted it, too
so in 1968 Plymouth took the cop car's engine and performance parts
and then jammed them into a two-door shell to create a top-shelf belly variant, the Roadrunner
Even though Chrysler was running the cop car game that didn't stop other companies from trying
Even AMC was attempting to break into the market the most successful of their police cars was the Matador enforcer
But perhaps the most surprising was the AMX javelin. Wait, what did I just say? The AMX javelin was a cop car?
Yes. Yes, I did the Alabama State Patrol was in a budget crunch and needed to save money on its upcoming patrol car order
So smaller cars were being looked at AMC was looking to promote sales any way they could
And police service especially for javelins would offer great public exposure
So AMC made a huge price concession to make this sale happen
All Alabama police javelins were fitted with a sick rear spoiler normally available only on the javelin amx model
But not for functional reasons like improved high speed handling
Instead it was actually needed in order to display the state trooper markings on the rear end of the car
That would otherwise be unreadable due to the deck lid's extreme angle
Not just any car off the road can be a police car
There are many specifications that must be met by the manufacturer and extra equipment that is added to the vehicle
The car has to be able to sit for hours in various conditions yet take off screaming at full throttle in a moment's notice
All while being durable enough to endure and function high-stress conditions and at high speeds
This makes these cars heavy
I mean REALLY heavy
police versions are on average about five hundred
to a thousand pounds heavier than their civilian siblings even still these cars proved to be extremely capable machines
It would be a crime not to mention the Ford Crown Victoria
Arguably the most iconic cop car of all time
For years the Crown Vic and the Chevy Caprice were battling it out to be the top cop car in the u.s
They were deadlocked in a proverbial fight to the death. The ultimate rivals destined to fight forever
But then all of a sudden the Caprice was gone
Chevy ended production in
1996 because of internal financial struggles and demand for more SUVs
so now the Vic had no competition
That's not the only reason it became the ubiquitous police cruisers
we know today the v8 packing 2 ton unkillable workhorse police force icon earned the respect of
enthusiasts and law enforcement alike for its dependability
the Crown Vic became the de facto cop car for so many years because of its body on frame construction
The Vic could take all kinds of abuse from cops and criminals and keep on truckin any energy spent damaging the body
Wouldn't damage the frame meaning the car could perform repeated pursuit tactics like the pit maneuver over and over and be just fine
But you want to know what wasn't two tons and can catch about anyone?
The Ford Mustang SSP
years of underperforming overly heavy sedans left the California Highway Patrol wanting a faster car
so in the early 90s
They started testing the Chevy Camaro
But camshaft and engine failures at high speed drove the CHP to reach out to Ford for a capable lightweight pursuit vehicle
The SSP proved to be quick and useful in the hands of police across the country
and ended up being used in over 60 law enforcement organizations
this notchback Mustang 5.0 could reach 60 miles per hour faster than george costanza to tell us he's an architect
I'm, uh, I'm also an architect
the stiffer than stock frame and upgraded suspension made the Mustang SSP a favorite for use in drag racing
these days the SSPs have been largely retired from police and government work
Only a few law enforcement agencies still keep them in their stable.
Get it? Mustang...horse
The Crown Vic is still in use all over the country, but it's slowly being phased out
These days we see a new breed of police car more and more often
straying away from the long favored four-door sedan platform
SUVs and even trucks are showing up in highway patrol fleets and in police departments all over the country
in 2012 Dodge released a special edition of a 1500 RAM for police work, which let's face it
Is pretty badass
Ford wasn't far behind in 2018, releasing the first ever pursuit rated police pick up to hit the market
These trucks though barely measure up to the success of the Ford Explorer
which now makes up about half all law enforcement vehicles in the u.s
The Explorer interceptor's all-wheel drive and available with Ford's turbocharged EcoBoost engines
With police having to carry more equipment than ever before
the fast, spacious and state-of-the-art SUVs are taking over with no signs of slowing down
Even though many of the v8 police sedans are disappearing
Modern police vehicles still reflect car culture at large and the changing needs of the police. So next time you break the speed limit
Double-check that these cruisers aren't your rear-view. They might not be the fire-breathing muscle cars
They were in the 60s, but they'll have no problem keeping up
We look at the lesser-known stories in the car world every week here on wheelhouse. So smash that subscribe button
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Even if they hurt my feelings
if you want to know more about the Crown Vic check out this episode of up-to-speed
Or check out this episode of science garage on superchargers because blowers are awesome wear a seat belt. See you later