Florida Is Using Ford Mustangs For Hot Pursuit, Even If Ford Doesn’t Officially Endorse It

It’s been more than 30 years since Ford last made an official police package version of the Mustang, but that doesn’t mean forces aren’t taking some initiative and building their own. The Florida Highway patrol is one of those agencies, and now it is showing its pony cars off.

There’s just something about 5-0 in a 5.0 that feels right. In the black and tan FHP livery, these cars look sleek. Of course, it’s not about looks, it’s about intimidation. They need you to know that they are willing and able to use as much of their 155-mph factory limited top speed as necessary to put an end to a chase. Hopefully, perps just pull over. High-speed chases never end well.

First Florida Patrol Ponies Since The 1990s

The original Ford Mustang police package, officially called the Special Service Package, comes from the opposite coast. The California Highway Patrol asked for something that could keep up in high-speed pursuits when the old Fairmonts and Camaros weren’t up to the job. For the next 11 years, the Mustang SSP was used by a total of 35 state policing agencies. California had the largest fleet, but Florida had the second most. And now it has some new ones.

Today, Ford Police Vehicles will build you an Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility, an F-150 Police Responder, and even an F-150 Lightning Pro SSV. But if you want a Mustang it’ll come with four doors. The Mustang Mach-E GT has been certified for police use, but perhaps Ford should reconsider building a new Mustang SSV. Florida isn’t the only state to adopt newer Mustangs for active duty.

FHP Wants You To Vote Them Prettiest Cruiser

Troopers aren’t bringing this new Mustang to your attention because of speeding, though. The cops want your votes, and this sweet rolling shot is part of their efforts to get it. No, the votes aren’t for a new ballot measure or more funding. They’re for the annual contest to decide the best-looking cruiser in the country.

FHP’s 2023 C8 Corvette Stingray, which it put into service after it was seized, is its leading contender. It’s the one that got a hilarious photoshoot that looks like it was taken at the mansion of a Miami Vice baddie. There are flamingos, a swimming pool, and a cheetah. The only thing missing are gators.

Back to the Mustangs. The FHP isn’t saying what it has done to these pony cars, other than the usual blues and twos and all the high-tech gear that a modern patrol car needs inside. At least we know they’re GTs, which means a 486-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 is under the hood. This pair of Coyotes will be chasing after another kind of coyote along Florida highways. They’ll also probably be used to enforce Florida’s new super-speeder laws that can mean jail time for excessive rates of speed.

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Florida troopers want to win the best-looking cruiser contest for the third year in a row, after their Challenger won last year and a Charger won the year before. But this time around, it looks like the FHP’s Mustang won’t be able to outrun their colleagues from Michigan. The Michigan State Police are up by nearly 1,000 votes as of this article posting on July 9. If the win goes to the Great Lake State, and you happen to be a Michigan resident driving through Florida, you may want to be extra should you see a black and tan Ford Mustang in your rear view mirror.