There is something quite attractive about slipping behind the wheel of a vehicle that has helped the long arm of the law. The cars in question sometimes live hard and fast, but are also meticulously maintained to guarantee reliability. This 1993 Ford Mustang LX retains the features that defined the Special Service Package. It presents well for its age and is a turnkey proposition, ready for a new home. The seller has listed the Mustang here on eBay in Fort Worth, Texas. Twenty-two bids have pushed the price to $10,200, which is below the reserve. With Listing View and Watch List tallies of 329 and 80, respectively, it is almost guaranteed that the price will climb significantly during the auction’s final hours.
Law enforcement agencies faced a challenge during the early 1980s. Most sought pursuit vehicles that were powerful, but were nimble when the going became twisty. Cars like the Fairmont and the LTD/Crown Victoria served with distinction on the freeway, but proved cumbersome in some environments. Ford stepped up to the plate in 1982 with a special version of its V8-powered Fox-Body Mustang. The changes made weren’t radical, but they resulted in an accomplished pursuit vehicle. Referred to as the SSP (Special Service Package), these Mustangs continued to serve for many years after the last car left the line in 1993. Structurally, Ford reinforced the floors for additional strength, but the lack of creature comforts fitted to most of these vehicles helped keep the weight under control, thereby improving performance. Our feature ’93 LX appears to be one of those Mustangs, finished in traditional Black with White covering the top, hood, and deck lid. It presents well for its age, with no significant cosmetic issues or shortcomings. Life in a dry environment has left this classic rust-free, while the trim and glass are in good order. I’m unsure whether the wheels are original, but I can also state that this isn’t the first SSP of this vintage that I have seen wearing them.
Ford saw no reason to reinvent the wheel with the SSP, so the 5.0-liter “HO” V8 found under the hood officially produced the same 205hp and 275 ft/lbs of torque that “Joe Average” received when ordering a V8 Mustang LX. Opinions vary on this, with some enthusiasts stating that the V8 received upgrades beyond the oil cooler, blue silicon hoses, and the beefier alternator, which improved reliability. Some areas elected to order the SSP with an automatic transmission, although this car is equipped with a five-speed manual transmission. Scrutinizing the engine bay confirms that items such as the hoses are intact, with the seller stating that the same is true of the oil cooler. They say that the Mustang runs and drives perfectly, and is ready to head into the sunset with the winning bidder behind the wheel.
One of the secrets to the success of the SSP was the focus on weight reduction. The Mustang’s interior is comfortable, but it isn’t luxurious. This car features air conditioning, which is unsurprising considering its location. Power features are limited to the exterior mirrors and the lumbar support, with the windows and locks both very definitely manual! However, this car does score an AM/FM radio for tunes on the move, which is said to function perfectly. The Opal Gray cloth interior trim is in excellent condition for its age, and the door pockets have avoided the typical sagging syndrome. The dash and pad have withstood the Texas sun without issue, and this Mustang retains the 160mph “Certified Calibration” speedometer, which is unique to the SSP.
This 1993 Ford Mustang LX is a tidy classic, and the SSP features help it to stand out in a crowd. It would pay to undertake some detective work to verify its authenticity, because there are tributes floating around in the classic market, ready to snare the unwary. Debate has raged for years regarding whether a genuine SSP is worth more than a “standard” LX in similar condition. What is undeniable is that these cars tend to command attention, because there is something almost irresistible about owning a vehicle with a crime-fighting past. The strong interest generated suggests that many people believe this Mustang is the real deal and are willing to let their wallets do the talking. Interestingly, I came across a prior listing for this car while drafting this story. It was previously on the market in July this year, although it was sporting different wheels at that time. The Mustang failed to sell, with bidding reaching $18,000 before the hammer fell. Do you think that the seller will taste success this time, and what would you be willing to pay for this SSP?
No, no, settle down, I’m done with the heater thing, but still, having had one, my interest is still valid. I did some research while waiting for Wallyworld to open( stupid time change) and this car is not a state patrol car, per se. The Texas State Patrol, is a division of the DPS, but this car was not for typical cruiser duties. I believe those wheels were added later, no SSP I’ve seen had those, and cruisers had a slew of equipment on the dash. I don’t see any holes so I’m thinking maybe a detectives car. Also 5 speeds were almost non-existent by 1993, and Texas DPS and State Patrol had 200 of these SSPs, only a handful were sold at an auction in 1998. You can buy those “calibrated” speedometers, its only real clue it’s a SSP, but not sure why someone would go through that trouble, unless of course they had the dash out for some reason, (cough),,,,so it has to be a SSP, as it’s illegal to have that DPS or State Trooper on the door, and I read, 1993 was the only year the DPS had “State Trooper” on the fender and did not have spotlights. All were stripped of their colors and painted before the auction. Several have been repainted original SSP colors and I think this is one of them.
Unless this car will be a trailer queen, potential buyers should inquire about their state’s regulations regarding private vehicles wearing such livery. Here in GA :
“It shall be unlawful for any person, except persons lawfully entitled to own vehicles for law enforcement purposes, to paint, mark, or equip any motor vehicle in the same manner prescribed by this Code section or by the commissioner for law enforcement vehicles.”
and
“When a law enforcement vehicle is disposed of, or is not in use for law enforcement, the lettering and colored lights must be removed. Any person using such vehicle for personal use prior to removing colored lights and lettering shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Thanks, A.G.! I was wondering about the legality of tooling around town with the State Trooper lettering on the fenders.
Would this be legal to drive in California?
No its NOT electric
Ha!
Might be wrong here, but this would be first SSP I’ve seen with the GT interior seating.
GTs have a movable thigh support these seats do not. Having driven over 30 “real” “patrol package” Mustangs as our dealership had the Mustang contract for the Nevada Highway Patrol and I “test drove” everyone before being delivered to the NHP. (The test drive included a 5 mile 120 mph run.) As far as them being different from standard 5.0 LX, I will say this. Most don’t feel any different. (Notice I said most.) The speedometer, difference, the high speed fuel shutoff is deactivated. All cars we delivered had black alloy “phone dial” wheels. I do know that earlier patrol cars came with black 15×7 steel wheels. They were listed in the parts catalog (micro fische) as “persuit” wheels and became obsolete in about 1985 or ’86. It’s not surprising that some think that these cars have more power. With all the different cars I drove, one was unbelievably fast. (A factory freak) I made sure that a patrolman I knew grabbed that car for his own unit. When patrolling a particular slow arial day out in the desert. They ran this car at 143mph. (That had to be a little scary as the coupes are not as stable as fastback cars. Don’t ask me how I know!) A standard GT/5.0LX has a substantially lower top end. But this car was very unusual, there is just a wide variation in these cars. Also, as far as I know is ALL patrol cars had 3.27 final drives. 5.0 LX and GT cars had this ratio available as an option, but most had 3.08 gears and many automatic had 2.72 or 3. 08 gears.
I hope that this sheds some light on the Persuit Mustangs.
Have to question the authenticity of this car. GT seats, pony wheels there is always that little sheet metal build tag on the core support.
I’m going out on a limb here and calling the mileage suspect this one shows a 6 digit odometer in the pictures but when you research the other same year mustang’s for sale and even parts for a 93 they all show 5 digit odometer it could be a late 93 before they started switching but more research is needed besides the fact when a public vehicle is purchased with public funds they are required to keep it over 100k miles or 6 years
Notice that all the five character odometers you looked at have standard 140 mph speedometers. The SSP had six character odometers with 160 mph units.
The Nevada Highway Patrol only has a mileage limit of 150,000 miles. They don’t use age as many times when ordering a batch of vehicles. They order more than they actually need to have reserves. So sometimes new vehicles sit for a long-time before pressed into service. Your would be amazed how many are crashed!
Hey, in today’s world I wouldn’t drive that thing on a dare, much in public … It’s a great big bullseye for some crazy who’s got it in for the PO-lice!
And I agree on the lack of equipment mounting holes in the dash, etc. This looks just too pristine to be real.
I don’t recall the NHP cars having “a bunch” of holes in the dash. Most equipment mounted on the dash was actually had mounts glued to the dash. Also remember that these are not your standard Crown Vic with a tall windshield. Too much stuff on the dash of these cars would be a visual hazard.
The manual transmission seems to be questionable to me. Growing up in the 60s and 70s we had a family friend that sold MO HP cars that were purchased at state auction. I checked these cars out regularly as I approached legal driving age. I don’t remember ever seeing a HP car that wasn’t an automatic. Of course back then they were always full size sedans.
It seems like having a free right hand would be important for a patrolman.
Was it common for the smaller Camaros and Mustangs to be manual?
The pursuit cars could be ordered with an automatic transmission. But most weren’t. The only automatics I saw were the DOT guys and detectives. NHP tried out a Camaro pursuit 5 speed. And weren’t impressed.
I remember reading a story over ten years ago about how these mustang pursuit cars had a chip in them that Ford only installed in these cars. Apparently, it boosted the horsepower. The story/question was why people were paying crazy money for totaled pursuit cars at auction. Answer, was for the chip…
In the process of me trying to find out why one of the cars was so fast we actually swapped a computer with a GT and the car was still just as fast. THE ONLY THING FOUND IN TESTING WAS THE ELIMINATION OF THE HIGH SPEED FUEL CUTOFF.
I saw one of these in all black at Newberg Ford back in February ’92. I think the sticker was around 12,000. I asked about it but it was headed to local law enforcement. It looked so bad ass. I was there to buy a new but unsold and heavily marked down 91 F150, it was the last 91 on the lot and they wanted it gone. It was an XLT Lariat Short Bed 4X4 with five special option packages, two tone Red paint, optional alloy wheels, and it was a five speed. I loved that truck but unfortunately the wife wrecked it when it was about four years old. Up until that day, it was living a pampered life. The wife was okay, just shook up.
Hard to believe it is authentic with the manual transmission – most drivers in Texas prefer automatic transmissions so they can hold onto their cellphones for conversations, texting and browsing.
In my area, there were SSP’s with both transmissions. Our City PD bought 5-speeds and the State Police bought automatics. I recall they had the phone dial-style rims.
I don’t know about Texas but in NY the NY State Police in 1967 had Chevy Bel Airs that had 427 4spds.
A quick check of the specialservicemustang forum shows this car to be in their database. These cars have a strong following, and this would be the place to get answers to questions about these very cool cars. For example when I checked there were nearly 200 online at their forum.
How about a Marti report?
Hi Wayne, I’m impressed by your knowledge of these cars, shows to go ya’, everybody has their thing, and what’s great is they all come together here.
We in the midwest, didn’t have many of these. Wisconsin had a few, the UP of Mich( dere hey) had more, with the standard Michigan red “bubble gum” light and hood badge. Illinois seemed to favor the Crown Vic. On trips to Fl. they were very prevalent in GA. and FL. It was intimidating, to say the least, to come over a rise and a SSP “taking your picture”. I read, many of the early ones( ’82-’83) had the 5 speed, but troopers had a difficult time, with the other duties of pursuit, like the radio, the automatics became the choice. Also, due to the lack of room, there was no room for the perp(s), typically, another full size cruiser had to be called for transport. These were for a time to “fight fire with fire”, many were running 2nd ( or 3rd) hand, tired 454 Chevelles and rusty CJ Mustangs( that still hauled aXX) and I read reports of 140+ in these as well. You mentioned, not all went well with these, and many were overdriven and crashed, an outlaws dream, I suppose, the cop crashed. We learned brute speed isn’t the best measure, and with cameras every 50 feet, these just aren’t necessary today.
Thanks Howard. I only saw/witnessed/ heard of two where the officer screwed up. Same officer in the same place. Most are rear ended at the side of the road. Goodyear Gatorbacks were good for the dry. But terrible in the snow. I gave one officer some tips about driving on ice. (I’m a Wisconsin ex-ice racing champion ) He later came back to thank me for saving his life. In Nevada the long lonely roads and absence of patrol units. Makes for the use of “Motorola” sometimes a waste of time. The officers needed to catch the crooks first hand. And I never heard a complaint about coming in second on a pursuit. (And I then knew almost all the officers in Northern Nevada at the time and never heard a complaint.) Geese, that was 37-38 years ago! Where does the time fly?
When I lived in Wyoming in the 90’s, there was a state highway patrolman (just one) who lived in our town. He patrolled a very large area of mostly desolate roads. He was a bit of a car buff, and occasionally rubbed shoulders with us local car guys. He had a SSP and really enjoyed it, for example telling us war stories of high-speed chases. But he also told us humorous stories of the many times during winter months when he found himself in the ditch, and was pulled out by a local rancher. “I didn’t report those incidents to my supervisor very often.”
HP ratings on this era of 5.0 was 225, not 205. And, having owned several, I believe that was conservative. Thanks.
Ended at $24,300.
Reserve Not Met.
56 bids.
I see lots of ended at $ and reserve not met with plenty of bids – a sign of the times – lots of old cars unable to find buyers – so back in the barn until better times in the future or ????