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Click above for more shots of the Carbon Motors E7

We haven't heard a peep from Carbon Motors in a very long time, but that doesn't mean the company hasn't been hard at work on its purpose-built E7 police car concept. To prove that it's moving forward, the automaker-to-be has just released two shots of a real E7. What's more, the company will show the car to prospective clients - police officers - at the upcoming 115th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference and Exposition. Unlike curent cop cars driven by these officers, usually police-spec Crown Vic Interceptors, the E7 was specifically designed just to do police duty. Instead of a 4.6-liter Ford V8 engine underhood, the E7 will feature a clean-diesel engine capable of running on biodiesel. With a cockpit derived from jet-fighter technology that includes built-in radar, radiation and biological threat detectors among other techno goodies, the E7 sounds suitably high-tech for real-life crime fighters of the modern era. To further highlight this point, check out the video, along with the press release, after the break.

Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car


[Source: Carbon Motors via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Carbon Motors releases real shots of purpose-built E7 police car

Carbon Motors releases real shots of purpose-built E7 police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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]

Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car

Continue reading Calling all cars: Carbon Motors purpose-built police car

Calling all cars: Carbon Motors purpose-built police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carbon e7carbon motorscarbon motors e7CarbonE7CarbonMotorsCarbonMotorsE7cruisere7policepolice carpolice cruiserPoliceCarPoliceCruiserFri, 21 Sep 2007 09:03:00 EST