A Crown Vic that probably won't be seen in your rear-view mirror
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Ford's SOHC 4.6L V8 isn't exactly known for its potential to make big power, and saddling it with over two tons of mass means that Crown Vics aren't exactly feared on the streets unless they're being driven by a police officer. Sal Mennella from Power Surge Performance (a shop specializing in Ford PCM tuning) developed a solution for this problem, however, in the form of a supercharged 5.4L that he snagged from Ford's defunct Lightning sport truck. As delivered from the factory, this engine was usually good for about 330 rear-wheel horsepower - a substantial improvement over the sub-200 RWHP provided by the stock motor.
As if that wasn't enough, the stock Eaton blower was replaced with the substantially more efficient Whipple supercharger to provide more boost. The stock heads and throttle body remain, though, as do the stock cast iron exhaust manifolds. This combination produces nearly 540 horsepower at the rear wheels, as well as a dead-flat torque curve that maintains more than 500 lb-ft over the entire duration of the dyno pull.
This has us convinced that Ford should offer a GT500 version of the CV - just so long as it promises not to offer them to law enforcement agencies.
[Source: Crownvic.net]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Seabass 9:34AM (10/06/2006)
500 HP or 50 HP; it doesn't matter. Only people north of 70 years old drive one. The CV is worsiped by cab drivers and cops and completely shunned by everyone else. Remember the remake of the Marauder? Not exactly a sales success, and you can guess why (hint: it looked like a Crown Vic without a roof-mounted lightbar).
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blusky4u 1:27PM (8/12/2009)
I'm not North of 70 and I drive a Crown Victoria. At present I own/drive a '06 P71 that's got every police agency upgrade possible as well as a few more of my own. After being rear ended by a drunk driver estamated speed of 60 to 70 MPH I vowed I'd never drive a mid-sized (Mustang 5.0) car ever again. It took fire & rescue almost an hour to cut me out. My P71's got plenty of get up n go power as well as preformance for a full sized car. Granted I may be driving what you consider a car for the seniors North of 70 but I can guarentee if I put you behind the wheel of my P71 I'm sure you'd be pretty darn impressed
Greg A. 9:41AM (10/06/2006)
Even a lot of cops aren't fans of the Crown Vic because of the fear that its fuel tank ruptures too easily when another vehicle crashes into its rear.
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Brian 9:49AM (10/06/2006)
My neighbor hired a shop to put a V8 into his old Jeep. Does that merit a writeup on autoblog too?
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Tom 10:10AM (10/06/2006)
Seabass, how did you ever get so insightful? Your wisdom flows through your keyboard and onto this page. I check this board hourly just to see what I can learn from your posts.
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Jeff 10:27AM (10/06/2006)
Hey seabass, its chumps like you that make me like this car so much, and I thank you for that.
Sales numbers and demographics would never affect how much I like a car. I couldn't care less if nobody else likes a car I like, that would just mean I'd be more unique. I'd gladly take an SVT Focus over a GTI, or a GTO over a base corvette, or even a Marauder over an S500.
You've got something else coming to you if you think the Panther cars don't have a devoted following.
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That One Person 10:32AM (10/06/2006)
Greg...almost any car rear ended at 70 mph is going to blow up or receive a lot of damage. I would love to see how Honda Fits or Civics or Camrys or whatever do in a HIGH SPEED rear end crash. Plus, not every CV blows up when its rear ended...even at high speeds. And it has been proven to be one of the safest cars on the road. Oh and I know a lot of cops and they have no problem driving CVs.
Anyways, thats a pretty insane amount of power for a CV. It would be pretty fun to race some riced out Hondas hehe...
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Alex 10:49AM (10/06/2006)
The honda fit gas tank is between the wheels. Plus it is so light that it would receive less force before getting pushed out of the way.
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Greg A. 10:54AM (10/06/2006)
That One Person, I was just repeating the perception of the Crown Vic's higher vulnerability in rear-end crashes.
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Chris B. 12:41PM (10/06/2006)
Ford actually has been outfitting all CV's with a fuel tank protection device. I can't remember if it has something to do with stronger reinforcements, or if it has to do with how it handles the fuel itself, but in either case, Ford has acknowledged the problem, and fixed it. You can get the modification made to any CV with the vulnerability too. Anyways, point being, don't bash a car because of a misperception that has been fixed. This and most other Ford's are not my cup of tea by any stretch (unless I'm riding in cab), but it's not a Pinto either.
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Andrew 11:29AM (10/06/2006)
I've always thought these were cool. The only big comfy RWD American car available for a long time before the 300 came out. I seriously considered getting a Crown Vic, Marauder, or Town Car a few years ago, but ended up with an SUV for practical purposes.
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Shawn 11:31AM (10/06/2006)
Alex, Prius weights 2890 lbs. Corolla weights 2615 lbs. By your method, the lighter the car, the safer it is? LOL
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cowboy bob 11:43AM (10/06/2006)
Fact- CV's have had tank protection mods made because of Toasted Troopers. Fact- Cops preferred the old full size Caprice with the LS1. Fact- Seabass's accessment is supported by Ford's own studies of sales information. Fact- Cops have more accidents with higher output cars. (Statistically supported by no.s of "special prep persuit cars" involved in accidents vs. general patrol vehicles also involved in persuit. Information available from N.Y.S. police records.) Fact- Mass vs. speed/inertia is directly proportional. The heavier you are, the more resistance to movement. This may or may not have anything to do with safety, BUT, When rear-ended by a car at 70mph, I would much rather be sitting in a dump truck than a Fit. Yo?
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Snot 11:44AM (10/06/2006)
Niether cops nor cabbies are fans of the Clown Vic because it has neither the handling nor power of the departed Caprice. Next time you see a state trooper or a cab, ask the driver.
I've driven both the Caprice and the Clown on a road-racing track, and there is no comparison. The Clown Vic is weak and sloppy.
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Rick 11:44AM (10/06/2006)
This is an old people's car, not a high performance car. I've seen grandma's in Buicks laugh the CV off the road. Wow, you're car can go fast. That's not calling it a sleeper, it's calling the owner a retard.
It's about time Ford hammered the last nail in this car's coffin. It's boring and un-luxurious no matter what the engine in it does.
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Dave 11:50AM (10/06/2006)
Nice Seabass; your posts are almost always entertaining but generally aren't even remotely relevant. I'm 40 and love my Grand Marquis (hint: It looks just like a 'vic without a roof mounted light bar).
It's a great car; handles fine, rides like a dream and has plenty of power for regular driving. More power is unnecessary for me as I have no problem merging in traffic or cruising down the freeway at 70 or so mph all the while getting 28 mpg on a trip. It's a 2005 model with 45k on the clock and haven't had any problems thus far. My dad's '99 had over 150k on the clock when he traded it in; oh, there's another guy south of 70 years old that loved his 'Vic. I guess not everybody shuns the Panthers after all.
The Panthers are great vehicles for regular people. They're inexpensive to purchase, inexpensive to maintain, extremely safe according to all government ratings and are all around easy cars to live with.
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Bob 3:22PM (10/07/2006)
I think that is way too much Horsepower & Torque for a police cruiser to have. Look what happened to the 5.0L Mustangs & Camaros that police agencies used? Most were quickly wrecked out. Alot of police cruisers are wrecked out every week, usually due to driver error on the part of the officer. I drive a stock 92 Crn.Vic. & it has more then enough performance for the street.
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Scott 12:07PM (10/06/2006)
The dude's name is "Sal Mennella?" Sounds like Bart Simpson has been having fun again.
Scott
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smooth sailing 12:08PM (10/06/2006)
I don't know how many times I've been speeding and some shmoe with a surplus decommissoned police car (that looks just like the photo).scares the living cr*p out of me.The funny thing also...Have you ever watched as the speeding traffic ahead of you also slows down?
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Poopy Head 12:09PM (10/06/2006)
Dave you are a tard. Do some research. Government crash tests are garbage just like current EPA fuel economy tests. You should be looking a rating by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. In short, the Panther cars without side impact airbags, (as in yours) have the lowest rating of POOR for side impacts. Even with them equiped, the rating only moves up one notch to marginal. Have fun in a your car that Ford refuses to put down.
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