Autoblog

Ram Special Services Police Truck gives the Five-O a 5.7

Zach Bowman — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:01:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Police/Emergency, Ram

Law enforcement agencies may now sink their teeth into a specially prepared version of the Ram pickup truck. The Special Services Police Truck is built to take the abuse that only police officers can throw at a vehicle with additional door supports to handle the weight of optional ballistic protection, a 220-amp alternator for added electronic gadgetry and a 390-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 engine.

Each truck is built with a unique wiring harness specifically engineered to endure the heavy loads of the radar, computer, lighting and radio equipment officers need in the field. Speaking of fields, this is one pursuit vehicle that can chase you anywhere you run thanks to the presence of a four-wheel-drive system.

Ram isn't saying how much the Special Services Police Truck will cost municipalities or whether or not regular-Joe buyers can tick the right boxes and get their own service truck. We do know that with 407 pound-feet of torque on tap and a 3.92 axle ratio, this vehicle will be plenty quick off of the line when it comes time to give unruly motorists a stern talking to. Hit the jump for the press release.

Continue reading Ram Special Services Police Truck gives the Five-O a 5.7

Ram Special Services Police Truck gives the Five-O a 5.7 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dodge Charger Pursuit claims its victories in Michigan State Police tests

Aaron Richardson — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:02:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Police/Emergency

The Big Three are finally done one-upping each other in this year's Michigan State Police vehicle evaluations, with the 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit V8 laying down some heady numbers on the test track. The Charger emerged with the fastest lap time ever recorded in the Michigan State Police test's history, at 1:33.7.

That, boys and girls, is something else. The Chevrolet Caprice PPV may have the best top speed and braking, but the Charger has shown it has the chops to slice up the twisties as well. The Hemi-powered Charger also gets to 60 in under six seconds with the optional 3.07 gears.

The only strike against the Charger is that needed a V8 to post those numbers, while both the Chevrolet Caprice and Ford Interceptor employ less thirsty V6s. Full presser after the jump.

Continue reading Dodge Charger Pursuit claims its victories in Michigan State Police tests

Dodge Charger Pursuit claims its victories in Michigan State Police tests originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mopar's Dodge Charger Pursuit police car says "Respect Mah Authoritah!"

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Dodge, Police/Emergency

A Dodge Charger Pursuit police car is a rather unwelcome sign in your rearview mirror. Especially if you've got an eye towards criminal pursuits and a mind to press your luck and your throttle pedal to make a run for it. Now, you better ask yourself... do you feel lucky, punk? Do you? We know what you're thinking. Is that Mopar-equipped Dodge Charger carrying the 292-horsepower 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, or does it have the 390-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V8 under the hood?

Either way, this new Dodge cop car has a slew of features handed down from the minds at Mopar, including slide-out trunk trays, trunk ventilation (to keep expensive electronics cool), a 100-watt siren, and upgraded electrical systems. Dodge is offering police officers the choice of one of six quick-order packages so America's various law enforcement divisions can get the car that fits the job. In addition to the pre-prepped vehicles, Mopar is offering 24 more items that an officer might want to make his cruiser even more battle ready.

Click past the jump to go through the full list of Mopar options for Dodge's new Charger Pursuit police car.

Continue reading Mopar's Dodge Charger Pursuit police car says "Respect Mah Authoritah!"

Mopar's Dodge Charger Pursuit police car says "Respect Mah Authoritah!" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: First batch of 2012 Chevy Caprice police cars hitting the streets

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:46:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, GM, Police/Emergency

2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV - Click above for high-res image gallery

Do you own a fast car? Does your inner conscience often lose control of your right foot? If so, dear speeder, we have an important Public Service Announcement you'll be keenly interested in:

The first batch of Australian-built 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV police cruisers has reportedly made it to the States. So says Automotive News, who reports that the tally is currently very small (just 23 were sold in May to unidentified law agencies), but more are clearly on the horizon - AN helpfully reminds that police car sales can average 65,000 to 70,000 units when the economy isn't in a funk.

So, all you horizon scanners out there on the lookout for the Boys in Blue (or is that the boys in the black and whites?), you've got one more silhouette to burn into your brains. Take a good look at the Chevrolet in our high-res image gallery below, and commit it to memory. You have been warned.

(Or, ya know, you could just obey the posted speed limits...)

PSA: First batch of 2012 Chevy Caprice police cars hitting the streets originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Taurus Police Interceptor to hit streets with 2013 updates

Chris Shunk — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:32:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Work, Ford

2013 Ford Taurus and 2012 Taurus Police Interceptor - Click either image for high-res gallery

The Ford Crown Victoria has been such a valuable asset to police agencies around the U.S. that some municipalities have gone as far as to order extras. The reason? The Crown Vic will be retired at the end of 2011, with a replacement coming in the form of the Taurus Police Interceptor. But with the new 2013 Taurus being shown at the New York Auto Show and Ford already having shown a version of the cruiser based on the 2011 model, which version will the cops get?

USA Today reports that Ford product boss Derrick Kuzak says the Taurus PI will in fact be based off the 2013 model, which includes LED taillights and new front and rear fascias. Beyond cosmetic upgrades, the 2013 Taurus will also receive a 27-horsepower boost from the 3.5-liter V6 (to 290 hp) and an EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbo that boasts highway fuel economy of 31 miles per gallon. The V6-powered EcoBoost Taurus SHO will continue to feature 365 hp.

Since the new Taurus PI will be a 2013 model, will it also offer all three powertrains? We're thinking there might be a few police agencies that would be interested in a more fuel efficient cop car. A 2.0-liter EcoBoost model could save municipalities some bucks, but historically, most departments have shied away from the high-tech and smaller displacement in favor of the less complex and tried-and-true, so we're not sure how well they'd fare in the marketplace. What are your thoughts? Have your say in Comments.

Gallery: 2013 Ford Taurus

Gallery: 2012 Ford Police Interceptor

[Source: USA Today]

Ford Taurus Police Interceptor to hit streets with 2013 updates originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official MSP Numbers: Chevy Caprice is quickest, fastest police car... barely

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GM, Police/Emergency

2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV -- Click above for high-res image gallery

The numbers are in, folks. This year's Michigan State Police Vehicle Evaluation pitted Ford's Jurassic Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (the new Taurus-based Police Interceptor was reportedly on hand, but its numbers won't be included until next year), Chrysler's 2011 Dodge Charger Police Pursuit model and General Motors' Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle against each other in a no-holds-barred fight to the finish. And let's just say the results are closer than you might think.

For instance, as pointed out by the proud parents at Chevrolet, the Caprice did, in fact, manage to set the best acceleration times to 60 miles per hour and 100 mph. But... and there's always a but... the 2011 Charger was pretty much neck-and-neck with the Caprice. In fact, the Charger was quicker to 20, 40, 50, 70 and 80 mph. So, which one is really quicker? Pretty much a photo finish, if you ask us.

Also, top speeds between the two competitors were within spitting distance: 148 mph for the Caprice and 146 for the Hemi-powered Charger. There's plenty more intriguing data as well, such as the fact that the new Pentastar V6-powered Charger was, on average, almost exactly as fast around the race track as its more powerful V8-powered sibling, and both were about a second behind the Caprice in the lap time derby.

And what of the old stalwart? Ford's age-old Crown Victoria did its best, but was still over two seconds behind at 60 mph and a woeful 10 seconds afield by 100. Top speed for the Vic was 129 (with a 3.27 rear end, which was even slower in acceleration tests than its 3.55-equipped brother), and its lap times were well behind that of the Caprice and Charger.

Braking tests also favored the new Caprice and Charger. Chevy's entry posted a projected 60-0 stopping distance of 128.3 feet and the Charger managed to come to a halt in 133.9 feet (133.2 with the V6). For comparison, the Crown Vic needs 141.6 feet to haul itself down from speed.

One final note: If acceleration is really what an officer is into, perhaps he should consider a switch to two wheels. Kawasaki's Concours 14 ABS Police bike hit 100 mph in under 10 seconds and the BMW R1200 RTP did the deed in under 12. See the complete preliminary testing results here at the link below.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

[Source: Michigan State Police Vehicle Evaluation]

Official MSP Numbers: Chevy Caprice is quickest, fastest police car... barely originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Caprice outperforms Ford and Dodge police cars in official test... or does it?

Dan Roth — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Specialty

2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV -- Click above for high-res image gallery

The police vehicle market is flush with new iron from all quarters, making the results of this year's Michigan State Police Vehicle Evaluation hotly anticipated. Ford brought its new Taurus-based Police Interceptor, Chrysler had the 2011 Dodge Charger Police Pursuit model, and General Motors showed up with the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. Preliminary results of the performance and dynamics testing put the Caprice PPV on top of its rivals, says GM, but there's a catch.

Chevrolet is touting the unofficial test outcome (final results will be released later this year) as proof of the Caprice PPV's superiority. Being quicker to both 60 and 100 mph and offering shorter stopping distances are performance attributes that officers appreciate, as is a 6.0-liter V8 and a chassis that handled Grattan Raceway with the best average lap time. Thing is, despite the fact that Ford's forthcoming Taurus-based cruiser was on-hand and competed in the tests, GM only compares its new Caprice to the ancient Crown Vic. The reason? The Blue Oval's new PI won't be available for more than a year. According to the blokes at Jalopnik who were on-hand for the shootout, the Caprice was actually bested by the AWD Taurus PI in braking and lap times, but GM has fashioned the 'not available yet' loophole to create victory (nevermind that the Caprice isn't on the streets yet either).

Of course, good performance numbers aren't all there is to police work, or departments would patrol in Corvettes. Chevrolet says the Caprice PPV leads in interior space and thoughtful touches like seats designed to accommodate officers' equipment belts. All of this, GM says, adds up to an open-and-shut case for the Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. You'd expect no less from a press release (posted after the jump), but clearly, the real victory in the race to replace the Crown Victoria has yet to be determined.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

[Sources: General Motors, Jalopnik]

Continue reading Chevy Caprice outperforms Ford and Dodge police cars in official test... or does it?

Chevy Caprice outperforms Ford and Dodge police cars in official test... or does it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charting the Five-Ohs: Next-gen Cop Car Comparo

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GM, Police/Emergency

It used to be that every full-line American automaker offered a version of its mainstream full-size sedan to make it appropriate for police duty. By the time 1996 rolled around, the Chevrolet Caprice, which was the last would-be competitor to the standard-setting Ford Crown Victoria, was discontinued, leaving the lucrative police market to the Blue Oval Boys.

The automotive industry took notice, and plans began in corporate board rooms to remedy that situation, and even a few new entrants - most notably Carbon Motors - sprung up with promising designs that eschewed the mainstream production-based sedan design.

In 2005, Dodge rolled out a factory police package for its full-size Charger sedan, and for the first time in a decade the Crown Victoria faced some stiff V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive competition. Then in 2009, Chevrolet announced that its new Zeta platform Caprice would be returning for the 2011 model year packing a strong 6.0-liter V8 of its own.

How would Ford answer this newly mounted competition? Would the aging Panther-based Crown Vic finally get an update? Nope. Instead, Ford just recently announced that it would soon offer a highly ruggedized version of its most recent Taurus sedan, optionally equipped with the stout 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 engine powering all four wheels as seen in the revived Taurus SHO.

We decided to see for ourselves how the three new competitors stacked up against the old guard Crown Vic on paper, and as you can see, there's little to separate each offering on the spec sheets. It should prove interesting to see how police agencies react to these choices, especially since reliability and durability will be mostly unknown factors for the first time in ages. See for yourself.


	Ford Crown Vic	Ford Taurus	Dodge Charger	Chevrolet Caprice
Availability	Forever	Late 2011	2005 - Present	2011
Type	Four-door, body on frame	Four-door, enhanced unibody	Four-door, unibody	Four-door, unibody
Engine	4.6L V8	3.5L V6 Twin-turbo 3.5L V6	5.7L Hemi V8	6.0L V8
Power	250 horsepower	263 horsepower 365 horsepower	368 horsepower	355 horsepower
Torque	297 lb-ft	249 lb-ft 350 lb-ft	395 lb-ft	385 lb-ft
Fuel Economy	14 City / 21 Highway	18 City / 28 Highway (2010 Ford Taurus FWD) 17 City / 25 Highway (2010 Ford Taurus SHO AWD)	16 City / 25 Highway	15 City / 24 Highway (2009 Pontiac G8 GT)
Driveline	Rear-Wheel	Front or All-Wheel	Rear-Wheel	Rear-Wheel
Shifter	Column	Column	Column	Console
Wheels	17-inch steel	18-inch steel	18-inch steel	18-inch steel
Brakes	Four-Wheel Discs	Four-Wheel Discs	Four-Wheel Discs	Four-Wheel Discs
Cop Brakes	Y	Y	Y	Y
Cop Suspension	Y	Y	Y	Y
Cop Cooling	Y	Y	Y	Y
Seats	Front - Cloth Rear - Vinyl Bench	Front - Cloth Rear - Vinyl Bench	Front - Cloth Rear - Cloth Bench	Front - Cloth Rear - Vinyl Bench
Interior Volume	106.4 Cubic Feet	102.3 Cubic Feet	104 Cubic Feet	112 Cubic Feet
Trunk Space	20.6 Cubic Feet	20.1 Cubic Feet	16.2 Cubic Feet	18 Cubic Feet
Special Features	Overwhelming Ubiquity Tough as nails Capable of withstanding 75-mph rear impact	Seats with downsized lateral bosters, cut-outs for utility belts Ford SYNC Safety Canopy(R) side-curtain air bag Rollover protection system Customizable steering-wheel switches Rear doors swing 71-degrees Capable of withstanding 75-mph rear impact BLIS(R) (Blind Spot Information System) Cross Traffic Alert Rear View Camera System Reverse Sensing System	160-mph (certified) calibrated speedometer AM/FM radio with CD player, changer controls, four speakers and clock with auxiliary audio input jack Load-leveling, height-control shock absorbers Independently switched red/white LED dome lamp	Seats with downsized lateral boosters, cutouts for utility belts In-dash touch-screen computer technology Driver information center in the instrument cluster with selectable speed tracking feature

Charting the Five-Ohs: Next-gen Cop Car Comparo originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago 2010: Chevrolet rolls out Caprice Police Car

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:25:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Police/Emergency

Chevrolet Caprice PPV - Click above for high-res image gallery

Late last year, General Motors announced that it would build a Zeta-based Police Car for North American duty. Though there was already a perfectly good Pontiac G8 available before GM decided to shutter the brand, this Zeta would be based on the longer version of that platform as used by the Holden Statesman and be known as the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice police patrol vehicle.

Well, what do you know. Chevy brought just such a vehicle to the Chicago Auto Show, and we managed to snap off a series of photos to share. According to the personnel manning the booth, the Caprice PPV is still in concept form, complete with a refurbished Toughbook panel from Panasonic attached to the center console.

Being a long-wheelbase Zeta, the Caprice PPV has plenty of room for a divided cockpit with what appears to be a plexiglass barrier protecting the driver and front passenger from whatever or whomever happens to be confined to the rear. Other interesting tidbits include a number of storage locations, including one for weapons between the two front seats.

We're sure the cops will appreciate the E85-compatible 6.0-liter V8 and the 355 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque it puts out. Now if only GM could find a way to put just such a Caprice (or, would that be a proper Impala SS?) in every single Chevrolet dealership around the country, they may really be on to something.

Gallery: Chevrolet Caprice PPV at Chicago Auto Show

Chicago 2010: Chevrolet rolls out Caprice Police Car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago 2010: Even civil servants appreciate a nice ride

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Government/Legal, Work, Police/Emergency, Specialty

Work vehicles at Chicago Auto Show - Click above for high-res image gallery

According to one of Chicago's most famous poets, Carl Sandburg, it's the City of the Broad Shoulders. There has been some debate about exactly what he meant by that, but we'd like to think it has something to do with the spirit of selflessness in its citizens. When there is public need, Chicagoans respond. It's no surprise then that the Chicago Auto Show always features lots of first response vehicles, military rides and other service organization transportation.

With so few big debuts to keep us busy this year, we found ourselves admiring the plethora of cars, trucks and "others," painted in fire engine red, black and white, or camo. We've assembled a gallery to show you what Chicagoans typically only get to see when there's a crisis. There are cop cars, fire engines, snow plows, military vehicles, quads, motorcycles and a lot else to check out in the gallery below.

Gallery: Work Vehicles at Chicago Auto Show

Chicago 2010: Even civil servants appreciate a nice ride originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fritz Henderson to Autoblog: Chevy Caprice is being looked at as "police application"

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Police/Emergency

Ever since General Motors announced this spring that it was killing the Pontiac brand as part of its restructuring, fans of the Holden-developed G8 sedan have been clamoring to save it as a Chevrolet. After company officials repeatedly said over the past two months that no such thing would happen, Bob Lutz re-lit the fire last week in one of his first pronouncements after un-retiring. Lutz proclaimed that the G8 would indeed become a new Chevrolet Caprice.

During our first drive of the new Buick LaCrosse this week, we had the opportunity on one of the legs to ride with GM CEO Fritz Henderson, and we pressed him for more details on the Caprice plan. Unfortunately it turns out Henderson brought his portable fire extinguisher with him, telling us:

We've been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it's broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We've been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we'll leave it at that."

Henderson also threw a soaking wet blanket on the idea of adding production to Oshawa alongside the Camaro, saying that the cars will continue to be sourced from Australia. So, for the moment, it looks like Zeta sedan fans will probably have to be content with taking a Blues Brothers approach to the problem: Buying their next car as a decommissioned black-and-white.

[Image: GoAuto]

Fritz Henderson to Autoblog: Chevy Caprice is being looked at as "police application" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STUDY: UK police officers confuse diesel and gas pumps four times a day, cost taxpayers £1 million

Chris Shunk — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: Maintenance, Etc., Government/Legal, Police/Emergency, UK, Diesel

British police have an expensive problem. It's not crime and it isn't corruption, it's much worse. The £1 million problem is stupidity. Over the course of three years, UK cops have on 4,709 occasions put the wrong fuel in their police cruisers. That's an average of four cars damaged per day, with damages of £6,500 a week. That's more than $1.6 million USD. Blimey.

Each time the wrong fuel is added, the very expensive fuel has to be drained, and in many cases engines have to be repaired. According to the Mirror, one force, The Met, had four times as expensive a problem as any other group, with £194,212 in damage ($316k USD) over three years. In one year alone, the pump-challenged bunch had 287 erroneous re-fuels from its 6,500 unit fleet at a taxpayer cost of £84,992 ($138k USD). That's a mis-fuel rate of .09%.

A group called TaxPayers' Alliance demanded fueling info under the Freedom of Information act from 52 forces in the UK. Eight forces rejected the request, and four more didn't respond. The public action group poured over data over a four month period to come up with the staggering sum of bungled fill-ups.

TaxPayers' Alliance chief Matthew Elliott doesn't mince words when talking about the size and scope of the fuel problem. "Every car damaged is thousands of pounds diverted away from the fight against crime. One would hope our police were more on the ball." One would hope.

To combat the expensive fuel mix-up issue, North Wales placed yellow stickers labeled 'DIESEL' back in 2006, but that didn't stop officers from pumping petrol on 39 different occasions. Many forces have stated that they've tried many things to combat the problem, but apparently only one solution has worked. Humberside has had only one mis-fuel, at a cost of £51. They have an all-gas fleet, which they say saves £250,000 a year. Hmmm....

[Source: U.K. Mirror]

STUDY: UK police officers confuse diesel and gas pumps four times a day, cost taxpayers £1 million originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Italian State Police receive new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars, Lamborghini, Police/Emergency

Click above for high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia

It's generally never a good idea to try and outrun the the local constabulary, but that would be particularly true if you happen to be in Italy within the jurisdiction of Prefect Antonio Manganelli. Manganelli heads up the Italian State Police and he just took delivery of the latest police package special from the crew at Lamborghini. This time around the Bolognese automaker added the decals and lights to its new Gallardo LP560-4. Somehow the Lamborghini techs have managed to integrate all the gear that modern police officers regularly use into their diminutive supercar. The car is equipped with a video recording system so officers can record evidence and provide entertainment for the boys in blue back at the station by transmitting it wirelessly in real time. The usual array of gun racks and radio equipment is also supplemented by a cooler in the front compartment that can be used to transport separated body parts to the local emergency room, or that finger you just shot off a "potential" suspect. The Rome police have been using a Gallardo cruiser for the last five years and accumulated 87,000 apparently problem-free miles while the Bologna police have racked up 62,000 miles in another example. You can check out video of their new police Lambo after the jump.

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia

[Source: Lamborghini]

Continue reading Italian State Police receive new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

Italian State Police receive new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carbon Motors releases first video of E7 cop car and in-car gadgets

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:32:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Green, Police/Emergency

Law enforcement officers have more reasons to be excited with Carbon Motors' release of a few more images and a video of its purpose-built Police car. The E7, as it is currently known, looks to be much more capable than the thousands of Crown Vics, Impalas and Chargers currently roaming our streets due to its rather amazing list of specifications and gadgetry. Included are a diesel engine capable of accelerating to 65 in under 7-seconds, composite body panels attached to an aluminum structure, 360-degree built-in police-duty LED lights, suicide rear doors with hose-out passenger compartment and a separate front compartment with plenty of techno-goodies. Radar, LoJack, an automatic license plate recognition system, radiation and biological threat detectors and Carbon's exclusive On-board Rapid Command Architecture (ORCA) which features a large touch-screen display plus keyboard (see above), are all included. We think that this sucker should get the job done rather nicely. Click here for a short video of the E7 in action.

Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car

[Source Fox News Chicago via Jalopnik]

Carbon Motors releases first video of E7 cop car and in-car gadgets originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Green, Videos, Police/Emergency

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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Undercover Stangs: Indiana police to use unmarked Mustangs

Drew Phillips — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Ford

Being a cop just got a little more fun for state troopers in the state of Indiana. The police department just purchased 18 brand new black Ford Mustang GTs for traffic patrol, with one being sent to each district. The Mustangs look completely stock and only have a light bar inside the top of the windshield - not even antennas usually found on unmarked vehicles. A few troopers took the opportunity to test out their new pony cars at O'Reilly Raceway Park last week and found them to handle "differently" than the Crown Vics. We would hope so.

[Source: FlyerGroup.com via MustangBlog.com]

Undercover Stangs: Indiana police to use unmarked Mustangs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 May 2008 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen Beetle police cruiser, the "bug-erceptor"

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Volkswagen, Police/Emergency

It's a rather undignified process, being pulled over by the police. Next time you're sitting at the side of the road with the lights flashing in your rearview mirror, just think of this: at least you weren't pulled over by a VW Beetle. Unless you reside in Blount County, Tennessee, where Archie Garner, a 40-plus-year police veteran, nabbed this 1972 Beetle in a DUI case and summarily converted it into an Interceptor. Not that it does too much intercepting, being capable of only 70 miles per hour or so using the stock air-cooled 1600cc engine.

The "bug-erceptor", as it's affectionately referred to, just so happens to be car 53, wearing the same number as the lovable bug from the Herbie movie enterprise, and sees most of its duty in parades and on public relations missions. Wouldn't it be fun, though, to see your buddy pulled over in his souped-up Camaro by a Beetle? That's a story he'd never be able to live down.

[Source: USA Today, Knoxville News Sentinel]

Volkswagen Beetle police cruiser, the "bug-erceptor" originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michigan State Police hit the test track with latest cop cars

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, First Drives, Police/Emergency

Click the Dodge Charger cop car for a high-res gallery

Every September since the 1950s, the Michigan State Police have conducted vehicle performance testing on the latest cop cars. Prior to the early 1970s when the first oil embargo occurred, they would go out for bids every year and then test just the low bid vehicle. In those days, testing was limited to acceleration, top speed and braking distance.

According to Lt. David Halliday of the Michigan State Police, as carmakers were struggling at that time and scrambling to sell their bigger vehicles, they all started submitting bids around the same price with only a $45 spread covering all the contenders one year. Around that time they decided to start testing all of the available vehicles and they also made their test results available to all interested police agencies. For the past three decades, a chunk of that annual testing has been conducted at the Chrysler Proving Ground in Chelsea, MI.

Gallery: Michigan State Police car testing

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Michigan State Police hit the test track with latest cop cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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