Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Ford Crown Victoria was popular for fleet use, mainly as taxicabs or cop cars. The latter was offered with a Police Package that was ideal for the old-school rear-wheel-drive, full-size Crown Vics. In the 1980s, the cars still used LTD as part of the name, including this 1987 Police Interceptor that was a patrol car for the Sierra Vista, Arizona, police department. Presently well enough for its age, this Crown Victoria is offered as a project here on eBay due to it needing maintenance items like new tires. Located now in Tucson, this former long arm of the law is available here on eBay, where the current bid is $6,500.
This generation of the Crown Victoria was a Ford staple from 1980 to 1991. It was boxy in appearance before becoming more aerodynamic in the 1990s. The name was borrowed from the fancy Fairlane coupe from the 1955-56 run and was produced alongside the Mercury Grand Marquis. To keep pace with Chevrolet and Chrysler, Ford offered the Police Package, which took a stock Crown Vic and beefed it up, including the frame, suspension, brakes, and cooling. You also got lights and sirens, and the speedometer had a top end of 140 rather than 85 mph. A 302 cubic inch V8 was standard, with a 351 optional (as in the seller’s car).
The seller goes into painstaking detail about describing this old Ford – to ensure no surprises when you come to collect the vehicle. It has newer paint, perhaps of the Earl Schieb caliber, and there are some dings and scratches, so this is not a showroom-perfect ride. The interior has held up well enough for the presumed 140,000 miles, most of which were probably put on by a single police officer who took the car home at night.
Misses include an MIA air conditioning compressor, no tinted windows, removed police hardware except for the spotlight (non-working), an AM/FM radio which also doesn’t work, and some finicky power windows. But the engine and overdrive transmission work quite well, so once you throw on some new rubber donuts, you could have a driver. You might restore it as a tribute car or take it to Cars & Coffee and let their imaginations run free!
It really doesn’t look like there would be much to do but put gasoline in it and drive it. I am happy to see that all of the police equipment (ok except for the spotlight) has been removed and I assume that it’s been repainted, white. I don’t like to see decommissioned police cars in streets, still looking like police cars. It’s listed for reasonable price. With only 140,000 miles, it could be a really nice car, for many years to come.
I got ran over by a cop in one of these. It probably saved my life…… I know that’s an odd statement, but I’m here 45 or so years later to say it.
Had an PPS 87 crown vic I bought in 1989 – a low mileage car that was apparently used by a local news studio to cover crimes. It was a super nice car – every option from power mirrors, seat, stereo – the right lane would clear from me on my commute to work. My buddies and I loved that car. I am guessing this one is Canadian because the speedo goes to 220 (kph)