Meet the newest addition to the Virginia State Police’s fleet of patrol cars. Because the 400 ponies that Ford’s Police Interceptor Utility offers aren’t quite enough for proper interceptor duty, police forces across the country are looking for an upgrade. Since Ford doesn’t offer an official one, and because nobody else does either, law enforcement agencies are having to lean into alternative options to catch the quickest speeders.
The cheapest new car with a V8, one that happens to have one of the best price to horsepower ratios in the country, is the obvious choice. That would be the Ford Mustang, which explains why it is showing up in more fleets around the US despite Ford having no official program for one.
A Mustang With Nicer Stripes Than Shelby
Ford’s latest S650 Mustang isn’t exactly a stranger to the VSP fleet. The law enforcement agency debuted the cars in March at Martinsville Speedway, and it has done a few photo shoots since. But this appears to be the first day of service for the new Mustangs, so it’s a big deal. It’s tough to tell exactly how many Mustangs joined the fleet. The video shows about half a dozen, and there are photos that show more with different plate numbers.
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The new Mustangs look rather svelte in the VSP’s silver livery with deep blue stripes. They’re not the hood stripes that you can order from Ford directly, but these would look good on a non-cop car too.
The current Ford Mustang GT makes 480 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque from its 5.0-liter Coyote V8. These cars don’t have the optional active exhaust that would add a few more horses, but they do have some upgrades. The cars are wearing lace-spoke 19-inch wheels that identify them as having the Performance Package.
Fast, But Not Curb-Smash Tested
For an extra $5,560, the Performance Package comes with upgraded Brembo brakes, a Torsen limited-slip rear differential, thicker rear sway bar, and chassis and stability control tuning that are unique to the package – all things likely handy in a pursuit. The package also comes with a front tow hook, and we’ll just leave the reliability jokes alone. The carbonized gray wheels look awesome, but they’re probably not up to curb hopping like the Interceptor Utility is.
Curb hopping is one of the things Ford has to care about when it endorses its models as being ready for police work. The Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility features a stronger frame able to handle 75-mph rear-end crashes, and has been tested against 8-inch curb impacts and 30-mph railroad crossings. The Ford Mustang Mach-E has passed these tests. The regular Mustang has not.
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The cop-car Explorer also has a pursuit drive mode, has been tested for extended high-speed driving (and extensive idling) and has special officer-protection features. Optional ballistic panels are available for the doors, too. Despite the Mustang’s storied history as a pursuit vehicle, none of that applies to the latest pony.
But hey, sometimes the 148-mph top speed of the Police Interceptor Utility isn’t enough. Sometimes you need a car that’s a little faster. The Mustang GT will get all the way to 155, and it doesn’t take long to get there. And if that still isn’t enough, the force has its Bell 407s. They’ll do 160, and they don’t have to follow roads.
Source: Virginia State Police
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