There’s a lot of nostalgia for the 1980s out there today, but we also must temper that enthusiasm with a reminder that our brave men and women in blue were often outpowered in the pursuit department. Out of this need came a vehicle that seems in hindsight way too small for police duty. Nevertheless, the Mustang Special Service Package was out there catching baddies when the big Crown Vics and Diplomats couldn’t. Being the lightest of the Mustangs, the square-rigged coupe and its black-painted 10-hole wheels looked purposeful enough to be a cop car. Admired by racers since they were new, the law figured that if they couldn’t beat them, they would join them. Now’s your chance to live out your CHiPs fantasies behind the wheel of one of these special Mustangs.
By the time that the Fox Body Mustang was nearing the end of its run, the more streamlined Crown Victorias and Chevy Caprices were more capable of high-speed duties, so the Mustangs were eventually sold off to the general public. This ex-Florida Highway Patrol car found a new owner in 1992, and earned a new paint job in 1993. It has apparently been owned by the same person since then, according to the advertisement.
The Mustangs were surprisingly close to stock, as they were built fairly tough to endure the Saturday night street racing to which many of these were invariably subjected. A beefier alternator, silicone radiator hoses, and an oil cooler were the main upgrades to the basic 5.0 package. There were some other peculiarities to make the car more convenient for everyday police duty, but Ford had already done its homework.
This one appears to have a speed catalog from 1993 under the hood; the seller claims that it has Trick Flow heads and a GT-40 intake manifold. You can see the aforementioned silicone upper radiator hose, and no 5.0 Mustang in the ’90s would be complete without a K&N sticker and a set of Flowmasters. I can still hear it now.
The interior is mostly original except for the aftermarket shifter. One feature (or lack thereof) that stands out to me is the lack of cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. My parents own an ’88 GT convertible, and I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel; this one seems strangely unadorned. The police accoutrements are missing, but it looks like 1989 in here.
I still remember when the Michigan State Police had SSPs in their distinctive blue. They were certainly the coolest police cars on the road, and there can’t be many left today. This one is for sale on eBay with no reserve and a current high bid of $10,400.
Good write up Toth. Looks like a really fun driver, the GT-40 head was about the best upgrade you could do. Gonna be a quick sedan. 🚨
Nice write up Toth. Almost a guarantee this is one of the last Gen cop car w manual transmission you’ll ever see that’s made in the USA 🇺🇸.
Some later Camaros are out there too. This looks a fun driver. Gt-40 heads are a great thing to add. 🚨
Looks like the one that stopped me doing 90 in a 65 in Washington county, FL. 3 am in the morning, making time in my Peterbuilt with only one car on the trailer. Son of a gun snuck up on me with his headlights off. Brave man, no telling how fast he had to go to catch up to me. Big ticket too. Lawyer kept it off my record, but still cost a lot.
Sorry for the double comment All.
I saw a timed out ⏲️ msg, and panicked lol.
If spending 8 hours a day in a car that makes them happy means that when I get pulled over the cop has a better attitude, give them whatever they want.
I’m digging’ it. I’m also a fan of the FHP paint scheme, it looks good!
Tom- My question is how often the driver of this currently “faux” FHP machine gets pulled over to ‘splain the paint job.
Never. All the lights and decals have been removed and I’m pretty sure a real cop is going to know Mustangs aren’t used for patrol anymore. A guy I used to work with had two retired crown vics with push bars. Very few people on the highway would pass him, lol! But he never got hassled for them.
I’ve seen several Crown Vic cop cars with words “Not A Cop” painted on hood and trunklid.
I’ve been told that Florida does not allow civilian cars in that paint style to be driven as a regular driver. They are allowed as parade and tribute cars only. I may be wrong but a friend who is a State Trooper is who told me.
Agree with Stan – good write up, Aaron. More than a few Mustang “pilots” found these could be a handful with the live rear axle but were very effective in their time.
There will of course always be those unhappy drivers who get indignant since they don’t think the law should apply to them but occasionally change their tune when a DWI driver takes them out driving the wrong way on the freeway and the officer risks his/her life to save them..
“pursuits are pretty rare…” Never been to California have you? They’re a regular occurrence around here. Pretty much daily. Although some city departments have pursuit restrictions, the agency that used to pilot these notchback 5.0s to patrol the freeways do not. They’ll chase you to the Mexico border if they have to…
Hi Jim, I agree, high speed pursuits still use the “sheriff chasing the bad guys” mentality and cause tremendous damage. Few ever end well, and that’s the reason the perp is fleeing in the 1st place, to take someone with them, preferably, another cop. You’d think by now, there would be some way to disable a vehicle on the run, and not those hoaky spike strips, that almost never work. I do think, with cameras everywhere, it’s clear you can’t get away, and high speed chases are fading, except of course in California, where the perp may actually get some TV time.
I know, I complain about these, but you have to admit, it looks mean, and meant to dominate the scene. I remember, coming over a rise, and a SSP on the other side “looking at you” ( radar) was an ominous site. Luckily, I never drove a semi that would go over the speed limit. I’ve been stopped by just about every cruiser made for compliance, but I don’t recall a SSP. I read, not many SSPs were stick, early ones mostly, as shifting, combined with other police duties, proved too much, and several troopers lost control doing so. A Neb. trooper was clocked at 146 mph in one. They were a handful at speed. Also with limited room, another full size squad was needed for transport. I think Michigans SSPs were the coolest too. For the longest time, they retained the single red “gumball machine” light. Just pray the heater core is sound,,,
Maybe a paint job and wheels would throw off the real spotter. Cool little car.
We got a Florida trooper to stop one day to report a crazy driver who was running about 90mph on three tires, The right front wheel had no tire.
The trooper that stopped was a black guy about 6’5″ so when he got out of that Mustang I had to ask him who he had pissed off. LOL
Can’t imagine driving one of them all day if I were that tall.
Anyway the car we reported had run off the road and when we passed it had 3 wheels and the right front was running on the rotor.
I’m 6’5″, and had an 89 5.0 LX 5spd bought new. Getting in an out could be a chore, but once in the driver’s seat it was plenty roomy. My son who is 6’6″ had one of these FHP Mustangs in the late 90s. Never complained about room. Put a ProCharger on it and terrorized Jacksonville for a couple of years. Got rid of it and bought a Cobra R, put 2 turbochargers on it and once again terrorized Jacksonville.
The FHP paint reminds me of my younger days.
Not quite. Most folks have no idea of what happens during a high speed chase or the resources needed to apprehend the dude or dudette. It is not called a thin blue line for nothing. The radio and a helicopter, especially the helicopter, are the best tools, and a cop following the speeding car at a safe distance. Nothing like lights in your rear view mirror.
Don’t hear much about high speed chases here in Florida. Maybe on the East coast where all the idiots live there are some but on the West coast we have the “Eye in the Sky” everywhere and all they have to do is keep track of the speeder until he stops or wrecks or runs out of gas.Tire spikes usually get the cop instead of the speeder which is counter intuitive. Helicopters really work well with cameras and a steady narrative by the copilot.
I had a new 88 Mustang GT and one day I pulled into a convenience store and parked next to a GA State Police 5.0 LX Pursuit car. The officer and I started talking, comparing notes, and I got to look under his hood and about the differences between our cars in general. He was a fellow gearhead and was quite happy to talk with me.
Soon after our talk, I drove the car to Riverside Ford in Macon GA and had the dealer order and install a 140-mph speedometer (mine had the 85-mph speedo that came standard). They put a sticker on the door certifying the mileage at the install, so it didn’t impact my warranty. I also had an oil cooler installed.
As the article stated, the differences were minimal between the civilian and police versions. I wish I would have kept that car. It was slow by today’s standards, but that engine sounded awesome!
I had one of these 89 ssp Mustangs it was an auto and a former Utah police chiefs car the Utah city was right on the border of Arizona and Utah, lots of wide open desert for chases. These had reinforced front seats standard for the big 250 -300 lb cops. Even so mine needed the seat rebuilt because of extra weight of the former driver. They Airforce also used these to help with the landing of the U2 airplane, the one with the big wing span and a wheel on the tip of each wing. One Mustang on the tip of each wing going as fast as it could helping the pilot to land the plane.
Thought Air Force used IROC Z Camaros for the U2s?
Where I was stationed, they used an El Camino with an airman in the bed to catch and steady the end of one wing. The wings on the U-2 were so efficient that I believe that they produced lift at around 30 knots, rising up and dropping the “pogo” wheels which would be retrieved by the follow vehicle.
Wow, I never knew that about the U2. Learning something new everyday!
Another reason that I love Barn Finds!
I am with you on this one , seen too much powertripping from the uniform !
As a canadian supporting the trucker protest and seeing what these uniformed robots chose to do , my views have changed …
YOLO
I realize we’re kinda wandering off topic, but I was in the Navy, not the Air Force (except for Air Force ROTC in college). Operation Whale Tale was the development of a modified U2…U2G and later U2R…which took off and landed on aircraft carriers. Biggest problem was wing span, which required the U2 to stay at the far left edge of the flight deck. Didn’t need a catapult launch, but did need a tail hook. Saw one on the flight deck of carrier (Ranger I think) in Guam in 1963 or 64. They had to leave it on deck since there was no way to get it down to the hangar deck. A footnote to history!