Autoblog

Checker did it with taxi cabs a generation and a half ago, but since then, purpose-built working cars haven't been produced in mass quantities. Carbon Motors thinks it's about time the fuzz get their own purpose-built ride, instead of being forced to modify a civilian car. Law enforcement agencies have kept Ford's Panther platform alive long past its expiration date, but even that is winding down. Carbon's E7 looks to step in and fill the niche that the eventual phasing out of the Panther will provide (nevermind that there's been some adoption of the even tighter quarters of the Chrysler LX cars). Police need cars that are tough and economical to run and maintain. With those criteria, it's easy to see why the Crown Victoria is the Queen of fleet. They take a pounding, they're relatively cheap, and they're big enough to hold the constabulary essentials and leave room for perps, even if there's precious little elbow room for Officer Krupke.

Carbon's got to make a case for a niche application, limited production vehicle with some expensive hardware. A twin-turbo diesel inline six is not as cheap a power unit as Ford's long-serving and robust (let's not talk about valve guides and seals, please) modular V8. The aluminum spaceframe that Carbon designed as the basis of the E7 is also not cheap, but the tradeoff for the high cost componentry is a 250,000 mile durability spec. By the time Crown Vics reach that kind of mileage, they're no longer cruisers - usually having long been handed down to less demanding city departments. The car looks like vaporware currently, though there's plenty of CG eye candy at the Carbon Motors website for dreamers to feast upon. Hey, fire trucks are manufactured by niche producers that charge a bundle for vehicles that serve forever, and it could make sense for police departments, too. It all comes down to how durable the cars actually are, how expensive they are to run and maintain, and how much the initial cost is. You know, just a few minor numbers to run.

[Source: Carbon Motors via Paul Tan]

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While Michigan cops are switching over from Crown Vics to Impalas, the UK police are holding fast with their police cruisers and have debuted the redesigned Volvo V70 in police spec with a new livery. Volvo touts the V70's interior space and increased payload capacity of 724kg (up from 539kg in a standard model) as reasons why bobbies in the UK favor the V70, telling us that these features "ensure that the vehicle can safely transport all the equipment necessary for modern policing, including heavy firearms when the situation demands." Boo-yah. So don't go approaching any V70s that look like this in the UK if you're itching for a fight. Chances are they're packing a lot of heat in their rear underfloor lockable storage area.

[Source: Volvo]

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Even the cops in Australia have it over us. While we wait (impatiently) for the Pontiac G8 to start rolling off transport ships originating from the island continent sometime next year, the new VE Commodore is now entering fleet duty as a police interceptor. Holden released a trio of shots showing full-dress VE Commodore SSes ready for duty on the undoubtedly long stretches of road running through the Outback in Australia's Northern Territory. Boy, we would burn through a lot of gas if we were Australian police officers on patrol out there with one of these as the "company car."

[Source: GM Holden via The GM Source]

No doubt many of you have already begun seeing Dodge Charger police cruisers patrolling your neighborhoods. As soon as Michelle Wingard of Amherst, OH (population 14,000) saw a Charger with a light bar trolling in her neck of the woods she made a B-line to the precinct to get a closer look. Thanks to the openness of the Amherst Police Department the resulting article is a terrific look at how officers are reacting to the new sheriff in town.

If the law boys in Amherst are anything to go by, the Charger police cruiser is a big hit with its 5.7L HEMI V8, spacious interior and tight-yet-comfortable handling. The only niggle one sergeant mentioned was the car’s habit of briefly pausing when quickly shifting into Reverse, which Wingard witnessed first hand as the officer turned the car around to chase down a speeding Ford Escape on their test drive.

Kudos to Wingard for a great read that comes off less like overthought automotive journalism and more like talking to your best bud about cars.

[Source: NewAgeMusclecars]

Well, it’s not actually the Detroit police. Those brave souls would do well to soldier on with their heavily armored Crown Vics. It’s actually the campus police of Wayne State University in Detroit who have received the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered police vehicle in the world. The vehicle will operate in and around the campus and serve as a “learning laboratory” for WSU students enrolled in the country’s first masters-degree program in alternative energy.

The campus po-po’s paddy wagon is based on DaimlerChrysler’s innovative F-Cell hydrogen vehicle, which has a 100-mile range and a top speed of 85 mph. The electric motor develops 88 horsepower, just enough to run down jaywalkers and truant students. Sixty mph is reached in 16 seconds or next semester, whichever comes first.

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]

You may remember a post awhile back on the NYPD agreeing to buy a fleet of 15 Chargers, five V6 models and ten with the HEMI V8, for a pilot program set to commence this summer. Well here are snaps of the first one outfitted for duty mere moments after the decals were applied.

Autoblog reader Max sent us a link to a forum titled NYPD Rant where a few photos of the car are being hosted. The forum’s audience is made up entirely of boys in blue, so it’s great fun to read their reactions to what may become the newest member of the force.

The real cops of NYC apparently don’t expect to see any Chargers on the street until their bosses are done driving them around town between photo-ops, and they worry about back-seat room in the Charger, as well as that sunroof under the light bar. Most officers, however, would forego the Charger if it meant an annual salary that’s larger than the cost of their cruiser.