The appeal of a muscle car that was formerly used to stop people like us from speeding is a phenomenon I will never fully understand. It’s like wanting to work for the IRS after being audited; why on Earth would you crave the thing that tormented you? The Fox body Ford Mustangs used for pursuit purposes and equipped with the SSP spec are coveted among enthusiasts, especially when found in the configuration that this 1989 Ford Mustang LX listed here on craigslist is in: a notchback with the rare 5-speed manual, and 150,000 original miles. The seller is asking $19,500.
The Special Service Package (SSP) cars weren’t that different from a standard showroom model, but much of the appeal is due to the image of this Mustang sitting on a median with a light bar on its roof, spotlight on the mirror, and old-school police department logos on the doors. That vision of a car most of us hold in high regard due to being a perfect vehicle for bad behavior being used to stop said behavior from happening – well, that just proves how awesome Fox body Mustangs are. It breaks the law and it enforces them! The SSP cars got upgraded cooling systems, electrical systems, and structural tweaks thanks to reinforced floor pans.
The manual transmission option makes this SSP all the more desirable, largely because many departments didn’t choose the row-it-yourself option because of how the officer’s service belt would potentially collide with the shifter. There would also be some form of communication / monitor equipment to contend with as well. Regardless, some departments clearly didn’t care, and ordered their pursuit vehicle in the best possible configuration for reeling in speeders and other scofflaws. The interiors were spartan by design, with the most basic cloth bucket seats used for SSP duties.
The special blue silicone hoses appear to be missing from this car, and that’s truly a shame as those small details are highly sought-after and essential for anyone wanting to own a factory correct SSP. The seller notes it was previously repainted but that it is otherwise all original, including the factory wheels that will come with the car. The SSP Mustangs are sure to become even more valuable in the coming years, and while this is top of the market for an unrestored car, there’s no going wrong with a notchback ‘Stang with three pedals. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip.
Overall seems like a good example. As the seller notes, inside and under the hood it looks like the 150k mile example it is. Fresh paint. Manual transmission. A return to the stock wheels would do wonders. As would those cool high performance hoses.
Good job Jeff, I like your description of the aura around the SSP’s– the perfect vehicle to use bad behavior to stop bad behavior.
Michigan State police have great road tests from way back to current if anybody is interested in numbers on cop car performance. My personal favorite cop car the Diplomat was wickedly slow, (especially 2bbl) but they sure cruised the streets on duty for what seemed a long time.
That’s probably what made them so exclusively remembered as cop cars. If you were spending your own money, might as well just get an Omni.
Virginia State Patrol just got a fleet of new Mustangs.
I saw one a few days ago.Florida got new Corvettes.
I think that cops really enjoy fling up behind drivers,
and watch them panic & check their rear-view mirrors.
Corvettes? In the state where school children get treated as a burden? Taxpayers should be outraged. There is no need for high speed pursuit cop cars, no one can evade a 2 way radio and some tire killers strung across the road just ahead. A DRONE IS SAFER TO TRACK BADDIES. No one need be hurt by being hit in some police chase that never should have been anyway. The best police practices are to drive the roads in highly visible vehicles and see that people drive as they should, that way they can also observe bad driving. Can’t do that lurking behind a billboard eating donuts. The cops need to see the inattentive drivers, the obviously impaired ones as well. Be they drunks, or some of the elderly who shouldn’t be on the road.
Florida highway patrol has one corvette that was seized in a drug bust and no taxpayer money was used. The corvette is used for educational purposes and for recruiting and is not used for any police pursuits. Seems like your dislike for police no matter what the topic is with your childish remark of sitting behind billboards eating donuts. Have a nice day.
Deleted from Craigslist
Im not sure about this one. 150k hard miles? This engine is probably old and tired. The advice I always got was to avoid taxis and police cars. So, unless you are putting in a new drive train, Im not sure.
I’ve had several. It mostly depends on the department that it was In Arizona anyway, any Highway Patrol one I’ve has been a 100% winner. There are exceptions but ones to watch out for are typically police units from small towns with a small budget. Another really ‘take your chances or avoid completely’ are city ones. In our case here its City of Phoenix ones to skip or give them a fine tooth comb inspection prior to buying.
Wonder what California uses 🤣