Ford referred to its special high-performance package as HPP, or Handling and Performance Package. It gave the Crown Victoria some extra zing for those who wanted a bit more performance and better handling, yet still wanted a quiet, luxurious car. The seller has this 1995 Ford Crown Victoria HPP posted here on craigslist in Wilmington, North Carolina, and they’re asking $5,800. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
Easily a top-10 car for me so far in 2026, I would love to have this one. I can’t imagine a better road trip car, at least for a nice, smooth, quiet ride. The MPG ratings won’t be much to celebrate, especially with almost every manufacturer offering hybrids now, some for their entire line of vehicles. Still, the older I get, the more I realize that life is just too damn short to drive a boring car, no matter how many MPG it gets. And, $5,800?! Seriously, that’s only about 11% of what the average new vehicle costs today, good grief. The first-generation Crown Victoria, as its own model, was made for model years 1992 through 1997. They only offered a four-door sedan, but I wonder what one with two doors might have looked like?
I don’t need a backup camera, and even if I did, I could add an aftermarket one here. I have GPS on my phone; if I need that, and I don’t need a giant touchscreen. I’m going to talk myself into this car if I keep this up. Dang you, Tony! This car has a few dings that you can see in the seller’s great photos. They have shown just about every square inch of this car other than the underside, and being in North Carolina, I’m hoping it’s ok, rust-wise. There’s certainly no evidence of that in the photos and in their listing. Just how big is that trunk? Here is a brochure on the 1995 Ford Crown Victoria.
I would have thought that Ford would have offered upgraded and bolstered seats in front for cars with the special HPP package. Or maybe that’s redundant since it’s the Handling and Performance Package… package. That’s like saying RPMs per minute. The Medium Willow Green Clearcoat Metallic paint looks perfect to me, and other than a couple of noticeable door dings, which I’m sure can be removed fairly easily. The interior looks as nice as the exterior does. The headrests wouldn’t do much good for someone my height compared to a modern vehicle. Still, I could so easily make this car work for me that it isn’t funny.
The matching Willow Green velour seats appear nice, both front and rear. 1995 was a long time ago, vehicle-wise. A lot of us may over-romanticize the pre-electronics-heavy vehicles of today. A lot of us are so used to the new systems connecting, so you’re connected to everything once you start your new vehicle, by pushing a button, not turning a key, that we’re spoiled. It might be hard to go back to 1995 again, or would it? The Handling and Performance Package added suspension upgrades, cast aluminum 16″ wheels, rear air suspension, a power steering oil cooler, a 3:27 axle ratio, and dual exhaust with the upgraded (20 more hp) 210-hp engine.
A fairly quick engine detail or regular cleaning would have made it look great, and you can see that the headlights appear a little on the yellow side. Both are fairly easy fixes. This is Ford’s 4.6-liter SOHC fuel-injected V8, which in this version had 210 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. It was a bit of a bump over the 190-hp standard engine. Backed by a four-speed 4R70W transmission, it sends power to the rear wheels on this Panther platform. The seller says that they bought this somewhat rare HPP Crown Vic to be a parts donor car for another project, and that would be a crying shame. These cars aren’t too common, and $5,800 seems like a steal if this one checks out. Have any of you heard of the Crown Victoria HPP?
Well, Scotty, did you buy it yet? You sure seem like you want to….
Great write-up, as someone who has owned 5 Panthers, I am always thrilled to see another one written up.
I had not heard of the HPP package, though, as the seller says in the ad, it is very similar to the P71 Police package.
And I agree, if this is as nice as it looks, it is a steal.
This would (should) give the new owner many years of reliable service.
By the way, I have found that the reliability of these cars outweigh the less than stellar fuel mileage, regarding the cost of long-term ownership.
Good luck with the sale!
Ha, I never gave that a thought about your user name, CVPanther! You’d be the one to ask for sure. Thanks for the great review. I hate to be the excuse-filled “… if…” guy, but if this were local, I’d at the very least look at it. But then again, if it were local, it would be a rusty junker, so there’s that.
NOT U, SIR, BUT THESE GET 26 MPG REal hwy, almost equal lesabre 27…had both, nik, good job all
Looks good to me. The lacy wheels and the subtle green paint give the car a unique look. With fresh headlights and the door dings fixed, I can see SG effortlessly cruising down the interstate, comfortable and happy.
I too had never heard of HPP.
My first stop would be your house, Bob. I hope your wife wouldn’t mind me crashing on your couch for a few weeks…
She may not mind, unless you stop and pick me up first and then go. THEN she might mind.
We knew about it.. I remember buddys parents ordered a brand new one. We were both choked when it arrived and had a single exhaust. Turns out the Dad didn’t want to pony up for the pkg .. Even after we pointed out what a bargain it was and all the goodies it came with. Thrifty farmer / trucker he was. 💁♂️
The two door rendition is pretty close Scotty. I think that the doors have to be a bit longer, to allow passengers access to the back seat.
Good point, Tony! How’s that one?
Maybe enlarge the c pillar a bit? Use some of the glass.
I’m unaware of a two door version are you sure?
Ford never made one, but Scotty cobbled up a speculative illustration of what one might’ve looked like that he linked in this article.
The 95 had distinctive taillights. That performance and handling package gave ya those nice mags and dual exhaust. Not much extra horsepower. In the end, the clear winner was the 95 impala ss.
Very, very nice Crown Vic here. Great colors and I always thought those rims dressed these up nicely. And quite honestly, what a great place that comfortable front seat is to spend hours soaking up hundreds of miles of highway. I think its a great price too. Tony P. Found a really nice one here. Scotty, I like your two door too. You have a knack for that like no other.
You are way too kind, sir. I like this car more than I should.
I had a 95 CV, it was an ex cop car, It was in the did not run line at the City of St. Joe surplus auction. This was in the spring of 2000. I paid 300 dollars for it and it only had 60,000 miles on it. It was a city patrol car that they gave to the parks department who then painted it a dark green over the white paint and it really made the car look shabby. We hooked a jump pack on it and it fired right up but it kinda popped up thru the intake and idled a little rough before it smoothed out. So I drove it home and got to digging into it a bit and found out it had two cupped valves. It was quite the education digging into that motor but another 400 dollars later I had a car that truly impressed me with its top end speed and the mpg. I used it for a work car and it would get 20 running 80 to 90, sometimes faster depending on how late to work I was. One time for kicks I started from a standing start and held into it for about 20 seconds before I got scared and backed out of it, it got to 110 and was still pulling hard and I just couldn’t do anymore. It’s a miracle that car didn’t kill me, I am sure it would have been the end for the younger drunk me if I would have had something like that at 23. If you can believe it I never got a speeding ticket with that car, eventually I gave it to my son to drive to college, I told him to watch the speed on it because I am not paying his tickets, wasted my breath with that one. Didn’t know it then but a year or two earlier I let him borrow it and he had already gotten a speeding ticket with it. He drove it for a couple of years and then was passed down to my daughter and she drove it for a few years until too many electrical problems and frame rot caused it to be parked with almost 200,000 miles. In 2005 I bought an 03 Grand Marquis. We drove it to New Jersey once and it got 30 mpg on that trip, so those cars can get good mileage if you drive sensibly. I currently have an 08 CV cop car that I really don’t like, it will only get 19 on a good day and rides so incredibly rough that I don’t drive it much.
A dead giveaway of the HPP on the ‘95-‘02 cars were these BBS-style wheels and dual exhausts. Very good looking on any car, and fits well on the Crown Vic.
Grand Marquis had its own version of the HPP, as did the Town Car, I think. Pre-‘95 cars had a similar package.
When I bought my ‘02 new, I had tested both with and without the HPP. The HPP car’s throttle response was more immediate and linear, and it had a more controlled ride without any more impact harshness than the standard suspension. I didn’t notice any drastic improvement to ultimate handling though, just less boaty.
But, I distinctly remember the HPP car’s rear end hopping to the right over bumps at highway speeds in the rain (??), something I couldn’t understand. It wasn’t anything excessive, but unsettling enough that I bought the car with the regular suspension. And it was a good choice – couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable and reliable car for the next 175,000 miles.
My Dad bought a ’79 Capri that did the same “axle hop” thing over bridge expansion joints in a curve, it seems to be unique to Ford products with a solid rear axle, but maybe not. Comments?
A regular customer of mine named Gil had a ’97 or ’98 model with the squad car package on it. At the time it amazed me that you could go down to the Ford dealer in your town and order the P 71 option for your new car, but he did it. He went over to Bartow Ford, plunked down the cash , .and a few weeks later, drove it home. His car was dark red metallic with gold pinstripung and a complete leather interior. Gotta say that car was really sharp and a real blast to drive. Too bad that all I could do was iook and ride in it as I can’t see well enough to drive. He and his wife Helen used to visit once a week until the mid 2000s when she had a major stroke and they stopped coming. And yeah, I’d see Gil from time to time but it wasn’t the same. Last time I saw him, he still had the car. If the girls would let me, I’d be all over this one!
In 1992 the Crown Victoria Touring Sedan was a one year only model. With the performance and handling package, leather seats, load leveling suspension and an upgraded sound system. Was like a luxury police car. I had one and loved it. When the speed limit was raised to 65 MPH, I could get 25 MPG at 70 MPH with a family of four. As a retired cop, I drove the police car versions from 1993 to 2011. I liked the 93 to 97 models the best. Wished those had the 240 horsepower engines! A very good car, brings back many memories, both good and bad.
As a central NC resident, it’s tempting to take a drive down I-40. Wilmington is on the ocean, so it does have salt air that affects cars. Perhaps this Crown Vic came from inland. We rarely get snow, but they do brine the roads in advance but then they plow and rarely salt. None of my nice convertibles and sports cars go out until the rains have washed everything away.
Remembering when Dawsons Creek had to rebuild the pier in Wrightsville because after the hurricane it still was an integral part of the long running TV show.
Beautiful looking car. I remember when this version was first intro’d. I find this more attractive than later Crown Vic models. If only more pics were posted.
why would you buy this to cut it up for parts? that makes no sense to me. too clean
My first thought too. If one buys a used car to part it out, they probably don’t think much of it.
When the Mercury Marauder hit the streets back in 2003, Ford allegedly offered a GT package for the Crown Vic, with the same console, gage package and floor shifter as it’s Mercury sibling, with a lot of the same Police Package handling mods as the Marauder, but it wasn’t widely publicized, and rarely purchased. I’ve never even seen one in pictures, let alone in the flesh, and like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster, I hope to see one before I die, LOL!
BTW, when the Marauder was introduced, Ford also showed a Convertible version as a show car at the Chicago Auto Show that was a future tease that was never actually produced (see link below). The concept car was built by famous Ford tuner Jack Roush and his crew at Roush Performance.
https://blog.consumerguide.com/forgotten-concept-mercury-marauder-concept/
I just wish that Ford had taken the Marauder to its logical conclusion, by fitting the Independent Rear Suspension setup from a Ford Explorer to the Marauder and its Crown Vic GT sibling! Maybe add the Explorer’s 4WD setup if you want to go completely nuts, LOL!
This sounds like a civilian Crown Vic with the Police Package added, which would make sense, because the column shifter is retained. Police Interceptor versions of the Crown Victoria retained the column shift so the police occupants had room for their gun belts, radios, laptops and all of the other “cop equipment” a modern police cruiser carries. IIRC, the police versions also used either bucket seats or a split bench seat, but don’t fit the console, for the same reason. They need the space between the seats for all of the extra police gear that is mounted up front, between the seats, like a desk, “hot sheet”, desk lamp and so on.
After looking at the ad a couple of times, it’s hard to believe that the seller bought it as a parts car. It’s very nice appearing.
Hopefully, there isn’t any issues that the seller did not disclose. If not, this should be sold by now.
Scotty, drive it down here to GA and take me for a ride!
This Crown Vic looks great! I love the paint.
I was the Inventory Manager at a bigger Ford dealer in the 2000’s.
The Handling and Performance Package was something like a $600 option I believe. I put it on a lot of the cars we got for the lot. Most people had no idea what it was, but they did like the wheels and dual exhaust! The package really transformed the car, making it feel more athletic.
Robert- You mentioned a 2003 GT package. That would be a LX Sport.
On top of the handling package you got 17″ wheels and the floor shifter.
I tried to keep silver and black on the lot. Most dealers didn’t bother to order
sporty Crown Vics, so unfortunately you don’t see many today .
Thanks for the update. I got the name wrong, but you got the idea! I’ve never seen one, so if you have a picture of a LX Sport you could post, that would be great! Thanks again for your help!
Here is a link to a nice silver one sold on BAT:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2005-ford-crown-victoria-12/
Nice! Even though they are rare, they seem to sell for less than a comparable Mercury Marauder, simply because they are almost unknown to all except Ford experts such as yourself! Bravo Zulu, Sir!
Cool link Excopcars. Thank you. 3.27 open rear. Seems odd the Trac-Lok wasn’t along with it. But even cop car Crown Vics had open diffs on them for some reason.
Stan- Limited slip was optional on police Vics. I’ve owned 6 of them.
I only bought ones with it. I don’t think civilian models offered it after 1991.
These early Panther Fords were great cars. The HPP package sounds like a winner. I had a bone stock 92 Marquis a neighbor gave me when she retired and didn’t need/want it any more. The 4.6 was surprisingly powerful chirping tires easily, even with a single tail pipe.
Outside of cleaning it up and adding Mustang GT rims with police goodyears all I liked doing with it was driving the wheels off it. The only downside for me was the window regulators, I think I ended up replacing all 4 of them. Classic cheap Ford plastic failures. I’d still own it if it had been a wagon. A very solid comfortable ride but no comparison with current E320 wagon.
The price for this one is a steal in my book.
Have you jumped yet Scotty?
at that price and milage I’m kind of surprised its still available i don’t need another car in my driveway is what i keep telling myself
Is it working? LOL!
Just bought a 1998 Mercury Marguis GS with this option. Got some problems with a miss after I cleaned the engine and the rear air bags are leaking. Hopefully I get it back to its full potential soon.