Not each police automobile is a humdrum sedan. This episode of “Jay Leno’s Storage” contains a Fox-body 1982 Ford Mustang that, as an previous tagline mentioned, chased Porsches for a dwelling. Retired California Freeway Patrol officer Wealthy Sapikowski gives a firsthand account of what it was prefer to drive the Mustang.

Within the early Nineteen Eighties, the CHP decided that it want a quicker police automobile for high-speed pursuits. The reply was a police model of the Mustang LX, full with a 4-speed guide transmission and a 2-barrel carburetor model of the ever present 5.0-liter V-8 (later variations had gasoline injection and a 5-speed guide). Police vehicles acquired a much bigger alternator and radiator, silicone hoses, a cold-air consumption, and high-speed rated tires. This system lasted from 1982 to 1993.

The unique carbureted vehicles made 157 hp, whereas the later fuel-injected vehicles made 225 hp. That made them rather a lot quicker than the common patrol automobile, so officers fought over them, Sapikowski mentioned. A former Detroit road racer, he recalled seeing an indicated 160 mph in a later fuel-injected automobile, and believes he reached 180 mph at instances, primarily based on a tachometer studying. Nevertheless, the air-con was designed to chop out at 100 mph—not excellent in sunny California.

Whereas the Mustangs wore the normal black-and-white CHP livery, they did not have an overhead gentle bar and thus weren’t as readily identifiable as typical police vehicles. That led to many complaints of entrapment by drivers caught by the speedy ‘Stangs, Sapikowski mentioned.

The CHP Mustang does have exterior spotlights and many of the different anticipated police tools, together with a siren, radio (which will need to have been difficult to make use of in a manual-transmission automobile) and a gun rack that would maintain a shotgun and AR-15 assault rifle. The Mustang’s cramped cabin made eradicating the weapons awkward, resulting in some unintentional discharges, Sapikowski mentioned.

This automobile wears plain metal wheels with canine dish hubcaps, which is not nearly performance. Later vehicles left the manufacturing facility with bright-finish alloy wheels that have been then powder coated black as a result of officers have been involved in regards to the public response if CHP police vehicles regarded too fancy, Sapikowski defined.

The seats have material inserts as a substitute of the standard police-car vinyl upholstery, which was higher suited to scorching California climate, Sapikowski mentioned. The 2-door Mustang pressured cops into nearer contact with the individuals they arrested, as they might usually be positioned within the entrance passenger’s seat, or alongside an officer within the again seat.

Leno did not appear too impressed with the Mustang’s efficiency, however Sapikowski mentioned it was fairly quick for its time. Within the early Nineteen Eighties speedometers in most vehicles solely went as much as 85 mph as a result of emissions-related guidelines, he famous. He mentioned the quickest he recorded somebody was 125 mph, nonetheless properly throughout the Mustang’s efficiency envelope.

Watch the total video to see this retired police automobile again on its previous beat, and to take a look at a contemporary tribute primarily based on a current-generation Mustang.