Ford police vehicles
Ford Police Interceptor is a line of vehicles produced by the Ford Motor Company. The line consists of specialized variants of existing vehicles, modified for use as police cars.
Though Ford has historically produced police variants of their Full-size Ford sedans, the "Police Interceptor" name originated with the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in 1992. As of 2022, the only Police Interceptor in production is the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, a variant of the Ford Explorer.
Background
Ford vehicles have been popular with police departments since the company's infancy, and Ford often sold directly to police departments; however, these did not use the "Interceptor" name. In 1951, Ford named the optional flathead V-8 for the 1951 Ford the "Interceptor"; this engine was available in the model's Police Package. The practice at Ford of naming the Police Package motors "Interceptor" motors continued through the 1950s. The Ford LTD Crown Victoria, produced from 1979 to 1991, used the "P72" production code designation for fleet, taxi, and police models. However, none used the name "Police Interceptor".
Crown Victoria (1992–2011)
First generation (1992–1997)
The Ford Crown Victoria was the first car of the Police Interceptor lineup. The first units were released in 1992, with a 4.6-liter Modular V8 engine and either a Ford AOD/AOD-E or a Ford 4R70W, which were both 4-speed automatic transmissions. The 1992 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, production code "P71", marked the first time the "Police Interceptor" name was used by Ford.
Second generation (1998–2011)
The Ford Crown Victoria was restyled for the 1998 year, taking the conservative styling of the Mercury Grand Marquis. The car also went through many changes during its 13-year generation.
For 1998, the P71 police package adopted many chrome areas for the car. For 1999, a chrome-trimmed gloss black rear fascia, unpainted door handle trim, black bumper strips, and a gloss black slatted grille were introduced. The new "Street Appearance Package", intended to make the Police Interceptor look like a P73 model, was introduced as well.[1]
For 2000, the rear fascia and tail-lights lost the chrome trim, and the gloss black grille was put away for a flat black slatted grille. Further changes were made in 2001, including taking off all trim on the plastic bumper pieces and a new honeycomb-style grille, replacing the slat-style grille, which is found on previous standard Crown Victorias and CVPIs. Power adjustable pedals also became an option during that year, as many officers of differing height had been joining departments. For 2003, interior door panels and seats were freshened, and the suspension, brakes, steering, and frame all were redesigned.
In 2006, the front fascia was revised with a new "honeycomb" grille, and the instrument panel was redesigned with a new message center and digital odometer/trip meter. New seventeen-inch (17") plastic wheel covers were introduced for the P71, and a new steering wheel design was also introduced.
When the Ford Crown Victoria was withdrawn from the civilian market in 2008, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor remained in production.
2011 was the final model year for the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The final Crown Victoria rolled off the line on August 31, 2011 at St. Thomas Assembly, destined for Saudi Arabia, where a limited run of 2012 model year Crown Victorias were sold.[2] The last Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was sold to the Kansas Highway Patrol, which they outfitted as a retro style parade car.[3][4]
Popularity
While all of Detroit's Big Three have offered police vehicles and had market shares proportionate to their overall market share, since the late 1990s Ford has had a near-monopoly on such vehicles in the United States, following General Motors discontinuing the B platform in 1996 and Chrysler discontinuing the M body vehicles in 1989. While GM (through Chevrolet) and Chrysler (through Dodge) continued to offer police vehicles after ending production of their last non-truck body on frame vehicles and continue to do so today (Dodge as part of Chrysler successor Stellantis), many police forces continued to order from Ford due to their commitment to traditional body on frame construction and its ease of maintenance as opposed to vehicles with unibody construction. By the time Ford retired the Panther platform in 2011 without a body on frame replacement, they had gained such a significant market share from law enforcement that they continued to order from Ford out of brand loyalty. Additionally, foreign automakers with major North American operations such as Toyota have never offered police vehicles in the United States.[5][6]
Taurus (2012–2019)
To replace the Crown Victoria, Ford used the sixth generation Taurus and the fifth and sixth generation Ford Explorer. The names for both cars were instead the "Police Interceptor Sedan" and "Police Interceptor Utility," in lieu of Taurus or Explorer. The Ford Police Interceptor Sedan was discontinued after the 2019 model year.
Ford Police Interceptor Sedan
The Ford Police Interceptor Sedan, along with the Utility came to police forces in the 2012 and 2013 model years.
The Sedan's standard engine is a naturally-aspirated 3.5L V6 engine, shared with the regular Taurus. A 3.7-liter V6 aluminum-block V6 engine, shared with the Ford Mustang, became available shortly after as an upgrade. Ford also offered the EcoBoost version, the SHO's 3.5-liter V6 which produces 365 hp (272 kW; 370 PS).[7] All versions came with all-wheel drive, however, it could be deleted in favor of front wheel drive on the naturally-aspirated 3.5L version. In 2014, Ford began offering the 4-cylinder engine from its civilian counterpart in the Police Interceptor Sedan as part of a Special Service trim designed for detective and administrative uses.[8] The Police Interceptor includes newer Ford safety technology, like the Blind Spot Information System, rear view camera, reverse sensing system, and electronic stability control.
In 2015, Ford considered ending production of the Taurus in the United States. However, the Police Interceptor Sedan was a major reason for continuing production.[9]
In 2018, Ford announced that it would be ending production of the Ford Taurus sedan on which the Ford Police Interceptor Sedan was based. In March 2019, both the Taurus and Police Interceptor Sedan were discontinued. The Police Interceptor Sedan was replaced by the second-generation 2020 Ford Explorer-based Ford Police Interceptor Utility, as well as the Ford Fusion Hybrid Police Responder that was introduced for the 2019 model year.
Ford Fusion Hybrid Police Responder
For the 2019 model year, a new "Police Responder" was introduced, based on the second-generation Ford Fusion Hybrid. The Fusion Hybrid Police Responder is the first pursuit-rated Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). After limited sales, the Ford Police Responder was discontinued alongside the Ford Fusion in 2020.
Explorer (2012–present)
Ford Police Interceptor Utility
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The Ford Police Interceptor Utility was sold to police forces in 2012 and 2013, like the Taurus.
The SUV used the EcoBoost engine from the SHO in 2014, producing 365 hp (272 kW; 370 PS).[10]
The Utility comes with provisions for the fitment of emergency equipment such as guns, batons, tasers, radios, first aid kits, lightbars and sirens. To free up interior space on the center console for equipment, the transmission is fitted with a column-mounted shifter. Other fleet-specific options are also included. It comes with an all-wheel drive powertrain as standard, and is also fitted with larger brake rotors, more advanced ABS and traction control systems, a more efficient cooling system and other standard police equipment.
In 2019, for the 2020 model year, the second-generation Ford Police Interceptor Utility was introduced with a new Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)-based platform, based on the sixth-generation Ford Explorer. It replaced the Ford Police Interceptor Sedan in Ford's lineup as their "purpose-built" police vehicle.
See also
References
- ^ [clarification needed]"Police Interceptor Information". p71owners.com.
- ^ Barron, James (2011-09-15). "The Last Crown Vic Rolls (but Not as a New York Cab)". City Room. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
- ^ Schreiber, Ronnie (2013-10-21). "There Were Police Cars Before the Crown Vic, You Know? 2013 Emergency Vehicle Show (w/ Firetrucks and Ambulances and Plenty of Crown Vics Too!)". thetruthaboutcars.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ "The Last Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Built". Code 3 Garage. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ "Why so many police cars are Fords". CNBC. 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Comparing the Next Generation of Police Cars". 6 July 2011.
- ^ "EcoBoost Engines Give New Ford Police Vehicles Power and Efficiency". News and Events / All News. Ford Motor Company.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Police Look for Crown Victoria Replacement". 14 November 2011.
- ^ Bunkley, Nick (17 August 2015). "The Taurus comeback story: Is it the end for ex-champ?". Automotive News.
- ^ "Ford Motor Company Official Global Corporate Homepage | Ford.com". Corporate.ford.com. 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2017-03-27.