(car engine roaring)
(tires squealing)
- Oh, sh! (bleeping)
Cop cars, they're everywhere.
Like sharks with wheels,
prowling the neighborhood, looking for perps.
The police car is a ubiquitous image.
A physical embodiment of authority.
Just like your big bro.
But have you ever wondered
what's inside of them?
What is it that turns a regular car
into a police car?
Well, wonder no more!
It's time to go tire to siren.
Bumper 2 Bumper!
On the Ford Police Interceptor Utility!
It's not an Explorer!
It's a Police Interceptor Utility!
(dramatic music)
To understand what makes a cop car a cop car,
you also have to understand that making a cop car
takes two major ingredients.
First, is the car itself.
Then, it has to be updated with all the special
equipment cops use every day.
So first we're gonna look at the car,
and then we're gonna look
at all the police stuff.
(upbeat music)
From the outside the Ford Police Interceptor
Utility looks like a standard Ford Explorer.
But it's not.
The interceptor makes all its vroom vroom ponies
with this aluminum block, aluminum head,
3.5 liter EcoBoost V6.
- Alright, hold on, hold on.
Um, so I did the research for this episode,
and got this part wrong.
This engine is actually the 3.7 liter V6,
which is not turbo charged.
Um, still a pretty good engine,
not as fast as the EcoBoost,
but just imagine that this engine is the 3.5
and not the 3.7.
Alright, see ya later, bye.
- The twin Garrett turbos produce about 11 PSI,
kickin' the V6 up to about 370 HRSPRS.
And 350 pounds of torque.
Cops love the way that this car delivers
power to the engine.
Pushes out peak torque at 1500 RPM
all the way to five grand, meaning,
(tires squealing, engines roaring)
it can accelerate the same in any gear.
Having the power on tap is super useful
when you're on patrol.
This engine makes more power than the previous
gen Crown Vic cop car, but uses less gas.
Now you may notice that the engine is mounted
transversely, like in a front wheel drive car,
but here's the thing, muchacho,
you know this thing is all wheel drive!
While the all wheel drive system does send
all the power to the front wheels
during normal cruising,
as soon as the car senses a loss of traction,
the power gets sent to a wheel with grip,
100% of the power can be sent to one wheel
if the rest are slippin' all over the place.
Say in like mud, or blood.
From dead stop the system preemptively
sends power to the rear wheels anticipating
a lack of grip.
That's more traction, baby!
But how does the car split the power
between the left and the right wheels?
Well, if the left rear wheel is slipping,
the system will engage the brake on that wheel
so power gets sent to the other side,
and this isn't just for wet roads and snow.
It helps when chasin' someone down, too.
I wouldn't know 'cause I don't chase people.
I just chase the paper.
In sharp turns the stability control will direct
power to the rear wheels so the front can spend
their grip on steering the car.
This helps the officers behind the wheel
by doing a lotta the thinking for them.
Otherwise they'd have to drive
like they were a group B instead
of focusing on traffic.
One of the officers that hooked us up
with this car was tellin' me that they
recently took this to the track,
and everybody was really, really impressed
by the way it handled.
Good job, Ford.
(light music)
The Interceptor is basically
like the Blues Mobile.
- It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks.
- This car's got cop tires,
cop suspension, cop brakes,
a bunch of stuff to make it handle
as well as a bajillion pound car can handle.
These things stop on the side of the road
all the time.
And the likelihood of someone smashing into them
is higher than you might think.
Luckily, the Explorer Interceptor
has been beefed up in the back.
It is ready for a mind-blowing 75 mile an hour
impact to the rear.
And these modifications come together to make
the most capable police car Ford,
or you know what?
Anyone else has ever built.
(light music)
This car was outfitted by West Coast
Lights & Sirens in Riverside, California,
right down the street from the Tummy Stuffer
on the 215.
You're welcome, Tummy Stuffer.
I love your name.
One of the very first things West Coast bolts on
is this Setina Pushbar.
The little here are made of rubber
so they're replaceable in case it gets all messed
up during a pit maneuver,
or pushin' down a gate to bust down a meth lab!
Right below the bash bar,
you got your siren,
and your intercom, seemed like,
- Just walk away,
and there will be an end to the horror.
- Now this next piece might be most the most
important modification on the entire car.
Right after a word from our sponsor.
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(dramatic music)
This is what makes a cop car a cop car.
The light bar.
This one is made by Federal Signal.
We all dread seeing red and blue lights
flash in our rear view mirror.
But that's not the only thing this puppy can do.
The LEDs can change between a bunch
of different modes depending on what
the officer wants.
You need to light up a big area?
(dinging)
There's also different flash options that can
help direct traffic.
You see?
It's not just there to pull you over.
It's also there to tell you that they just
pulled someone else over.
If you've ever watched a live police chase
on the internet or on the television,
you may have noticed the numbers
on top of the cars.
These allow the car to be identified from the air
so a helicopter can direct the cruiser towards
persons of interest with ease.
Hey Keith, the guy is down there,
nope, over, Keith, come on, man.
(laughing)
The police also get access to a special light
that has dubious legality for the rest of us.
And it's right down here.
This spotlight lets officers check out dark
alleyways and tinted cars from the safety
of the driver's seat.
It's also very helpful when you're
disciplining your son.
And you know you ate all the cookies,
you little perp.
You little perpy perp.
When you buy a retired police car,
sometimes the spotlight can be left on it.
But you're not allowed to use it like
you're a cop,
because that's called impersonating a police
officer and that's a crime.
Then you become the bad guy,
and then you get put back here.
(light music)
I can't believe it.
I'm in a cop car right now.
Last time I was in one of these,
it was a very bad day.
Let's just say that I wasn't sitting
in the front.
Okay, the interior of a cop car.
Up here we got one of the coolest parts
of the whole thing.
This is the Unitrol Series B Smart Controller.
It's the control center that allows the driver
and their partner to operate all of the exterior
features like the sirens and the lights.
I've always wanted to mess around with this stuff.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.
There's 17 buttons up here,
and a toggle switch.
Now the toggle switch has three settings.
That's Code 1, Code 2, and Code 3.
Whoo, whoo, whoo.
There's a bank robbery!
We gotta go bust these perps!
Oh, cool, take down.
That one shoots missiles.
I'm just kidding.
It just turns on the light.
Hell raiser mode.
Down below we have the radio which is how
officers communicate with dispatch.
And the main reason you can't get away
from the cops.
You can maybe outrun this 370 horsepower
Interceptor, but you cannot outrun the radio.
Excuse me, sir,
your butt is too fat.
Now it's in the middle with a magnet.
It's super strong.
Don't put your finger in between the magnet
and the thing.
I did, it hurt.
The Interceptor is also outfitted
with Mobile Digital Communicators.
Really heavy duty laptops,
that could swivel back and forth.
This is where an officer gets the bulk
of their work done.
Also in the car,
and I'm kinda disappointed that they
took it out, is this alligator clip,
which holds shot guns.
Uh, you unlock that with this button right here.
Sick.
Besides all of this cop equipment
the driver's compartment is exactly
like a Ford Explorer.
You gots to stay comfortable when you're
spending about 80% of your long shift
sitting in your car.
And that's actually what the officers I've talked
to like most about these Interceptors.
The old Crown Vics were sedans,
they were low,
and when you're gettin' in and out
of your car nearly 40 times a day
it starts to take a toll on your back.
Ever since this was introduced,
cops all over are talkin' about how much better
their backs feel.
Open the back doors, though,
and the Interceptor gets a little less fun.
(light music)
Eh, I don't like this.
It could be argued that where I'm sitting
right now is what makes a police car
a police car.
The holding cell.
If you are back here,
you are having a bad day.
But despite being as bare boned as possible,
the back of this car is just as advanced
as the front.
This entire cell is a one piece unit.
From the plastic seat it flows into the floor,
which turns into a partition,
walling off whoever's back here
from the driver's compartment.
It also makes clean up really easy,
should any fluids be expelled.
In my case, tears.
The windows are barred.
That's a relatively new thing.
The seatbelt is another
relatively new innovation.
It unbuckles right here,
and buckles down here.
This allows the officer to buckle in the perp
without reaching over them and exposing
themselves to danger.
The hinge has been extended so that the rear
door opens a full 90 degrees makin' it easier
to put someone back here that doesn't
necessarily wanna be back here.
It also doesn't have door handles inside, help!
Oh, key to a cop car.
Now this is where they keep all the fun stuff
that they don't want us to play with.
Like riot gear,
duffle bags full of other riot gear,
or weapons that they took out.
Up here you have your more disposable items.
Stuff like gloves.
Oh, cool, fingerprint kit.
Seriously, dude.
It's a fingerprint kit.
Dude, sick.
Very, very cool.
If trunk's all your thing,
it is worth mentioning that the Interceptor
also comes in a sedan with the same drive
train and upgrades.
But the coolest part is you can buy either
of them, this one or the sedan,
for like $10,000.
There's a million of 'em on the internet.
That is the best deal available
in America right now.
370 horsepower, twin turbo, V6,
all wheel drive monster.
You throw a cop tune
on this thing, whoo buddy!
These Interceptors, in my opinion,
are one of the coolest cop cars
America ever had.
In 30 years we're gonna be lookin back like
super nostalgic thinkin' about these things.
Man, remember when they made
those Explorer Interceptors?
Now all we got is these death robots.
(weapon firing)
Huge, huge, huge shout out to the Oxnard
Police Department, specifically,
the Drag Program.
The Drag Program is an after school thing
that allows high school juniors and seniors
to work on cars instead of bein'
out on the streets doin' dumb stuff.
Big, big, thanks for our location,
Port Hueneme, which was voted
2017's Greenest Port.
Thanks for watching Bumper 2 Bumper.
I'm gonna make a new one of these
every Tuesday until the day die.
Up 2 Speed is still every Thursday.
Follow me on Instagram @jamespumphrey
follow Donut @donutmedia
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1098, it's cop talk for we're out!