Anatomy of a cop car
1. Contrary to popular opinion, engine and transmission are usually stock.
2. High-output alternator for strobe lights, siren, computers, radios, etc. (Ford leads with 200 amps max).
3. Severe-duty cooling system.
4. External engine-oil cooler.
5. Steel wheels (sometimes dressed up with plastic wheel covers). Dodge has alloy wheels for show only.
6. All-season tires.
7. Heavy-duty brake pads. Michigan State Police brake tests include two hard stops from 90 mph, followed by six threshold stops from 60 mph, followed by a four-minute heat soak. Then the entire sequence is repeated.
8. Heavy-duty suspension for added control and durability (only Charger offers electronic stability program).
9. Column shifter allows between-seat mounting of radios, computers, siren-control head.
10. Kevlar-lined ballistic front door panels, available on Ford, designed to stop most small-arms fire.
11. "Trunk Packs"-strong, integrated boxes for safety gear, firearms, evidence containers, etc.-are a popular option.
12. Rear seat back and seat cushions in Ford Police Interceptor are built as a single piece, with no gap in which a perp could hide a weapon.
13. "Easy-clean" vinyl flooring usually standard (especially in back, where intoxicated perps often literally spill their guts). Some police agencies order carpeting in the interest of higher resale value.
14. Back-seat window switches, door locks, and inside door handles inoperative.
15. Though vehicles are often prewired for popular accessories, light bars, radios, etc. are supplied and installed by aftermarket vendors.
16. Total cop-car market in U.S. approximately 70,000 vehicles annually.
17. Sticker prices often bear little resemblance to actual vehicle cost; most police vehicles sold at substantial fleet discounts.
Hip CHiP
7 Mary 4 in pursuit
Forget about the Ponch and Jon edition Kawasaki KZ1000P. Don't waste your time with the porky Harley Road King. The new king of the police fleet is BMW's sleek R 1200 RT-P. Packing 1170cc worth of fuel-injected horizontally opposed twin cylinders that produce 110 horsepower, the R 1200 RT-P scorches the quarter mile in 12.3 seconds at 109.6 mph (on the exact same bike we bested the L.A. Sheriff's best quarter-mile acceleration validation test by 0.9 second). Grab a fistful of brakes, and the BMW's I-ABS (yes, ABS on a bike!) halts the R 1200 RT-P's 842 pounds of weight (bike curb weight-without rider-is 682 pounds) in just 126 feet. Mixed city/highway cruising delivers over 40 mpg, and the BMW is the first cruiser to offer a catalytic-converter system for ultra-low emissions. On EVOC's tight city street "pursuit" course, the R 1200 RT-P proved formidable with a 98.8-second run, beating its fellow four-wheeled cop-car brethren by 3.6 seconds. (Kent Kunitsugu, editor-in-chief of Sport Rider magazine, did the riding.) However, excessive gravel in corners and copious potholes limited the bike's true handling prowess to "don't wreck the BMW press bike" speeds. Trick gadgets include heated grips and seat, adjustable-height front windscreen, adjustable ride-height suspension, run-flat tires, and the first-ever use of LED pursuit lights. Maybe if CHiPs producers had ditched the pack-mule KZ1000P's in favor of BMWs, Jon (aka 7 Mary 3) wouldn't have left in season six. - John Kiewicz
To protect and to unnerve
One look at these menacing cop rides, and you'll plead guilty before the chase even starts
1. When cruising Italy's Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway, watch for this 500-hp Gallardo. It's even equipped with a heart defibrillator-which you'll need when you see the polizia closing at 190 mph.
2. This wicked 911 Carrera S Police Car concept by German Porsche-tweaker TechArt features a lightbar, 20-inch wheels, a customized suspension, and a 15-horse increase in output.
3. Think you could outrun a twin-turbo, 6.3-liter V-12 making 730 horsepower? Then you'd better be able to top 227 mph. Punk. German tuner Brabus built this custom CLS cop car.
4. Chevrolet's Camaro Z28 B4C police vehicle stopped production in 2002, but is still on the prowl. Boasting a 310-horse LS1 V-8, the 2002 model clocked a top speed of 162 mph.
5. This 1968 Galaxie is Inspector Callahan's patrol vehicle in 1971's "Dirty Harry." Today, Callahan would be flaunting a Dodge Magnum ("I know what you're thinking: Does he have eight cylinders or only six...").