Ford continues to not make a police package out of the latest Mustang, but more and more states keep doing it themselves. The latest state police force to bring on the Mustang GT is in the Hoosier state. The Indiana State Police have reached out for some Vitamin H and plenty of American muscle to help make sure they can keep up with the crooks.
Florida, Virginia, and other states have begun adding the Ford Mustang GT to the fleets of their respective State Troopers. The return of the sports cars to police use is a bit of a surprise, but also likely a sign of the times. The Ford Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility models and Dodge Durango Pursuit models are certainly far more top-speed capable than the 210-horsepower Crown Victoria cruisers that dominated the first part of this century. But when “boring” cars and SUVs start at 300 horsepower and quickly climb to 500 and 600, the police SUVs aren’t up to the job.
The current Ford Mustang GT makes 480 horsepower from its 5.0-liter Coyote V8. It can make even more with the active exhaust in its loud mode, though we’re not sure if state purchasing managers want to go for that extra expense or not.
When Ford made the Mustang SSP in the 1980s, it was modified for police use. Extra cooling, suspension upgrades, and other changes to make sure it was up to the task. These ones are less official, so they make do with Ford’s “normal” parts. But the Mustang is much more of a performance machine than it was back then, so it’s probably up to the job.
These new Indiana Mustangs are throwbacks in more ways than one. It’s the return of the pony car, but it’s also the return of the blue and white two-tone paint that the state hasn’t used since 1966. ISP’s standard cruisers will also get the new paint. The first 20 of those rolled into the fleet at the same time as the Mustangs. For now, they’ll be driven by the 20 newest state troopers, so if you see one in your mirror, you know you’re looking at a rookie.
The Mustang, at least, will go to troopers with a bit more experience. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports that four of them will go to Troopers with at least 15 years of experience. The troopers had to write a letter saying why they wanted the cars – like Ford did with its own GT – and got special driver training.
Officially, the cars are about combating aggressive driving and street racing. Somewhat less officially, they’re about helping recruitment and public relations. Just look at the… interesting clip below from the ISP to mark the release of the new cars. That’s a lot of fireballs and fireworks for some new cars.
“This car has the capability to drive at high speeds,” Master Trooper Nick Klingkammer told the Chronicle. “We have the training to drive at high speeds. But our goal is prevention — to get one person to rethink their mindset, not to get into a pursuit or street race. If that happens, we’ve won.”
Like any performance car in the Midwest, these will be summertime rides only. When the snow falls, troopers will hop back in their AWD Durangos until things get nice again.
Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle, ISP
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Your comment has not been saved
This thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
