1985 Ford Mustang CHP Car
1985 FORD MUSTANG CHP CAR BACKGROUND
As engines grew smaller and cars became slower in the late 70s and early 80s, it became difficult for police agencies to find cars that were fast enough to do high-speed pursuit duty. The California Highway Patrol asked Ford to come up with a suitable car. The Fox-body Mustang with a 5.0 V8 was the answer. Light, agile, decent handling, and plenty of power (at least for the day). Whether to accommodate this new market, or to create it, Ford wisely pieced together the ‘Special Service Package’ or SSP starting in 1982 and running through the 1993 model year, when the Fox-body platform was retired, during which time around 15,000 were produced for 60 different government and law enforcement agencies. Only such government entities could buy them new from Ford, and many were custom-ordered to fit the needs of that department, or the type of work it would be doing. During this era, Ford took full advantage of the publicity with an ad campaign with the tagline “This Ford chases Porches for a living”.
ABOVE: Even today the 1985 Ford Mustang CHP Car presents an imposing presence. You didn’t want to see one in your rearview. The rims are aftermarket, this would have had alloy “10-holes” from the factory.
ABOVE & BELOW: There were three bodystyles of 1985 Ford Mustangs, the Coupe, the Hatchback or Fastback, and the Convertible. Both the Convertibles and the Hatchbacks were too heavy and their chassis weren’t stiff enough when compared to the Coupe. Because of this, Mustang Coupes, once considered the “cheap Mustang”, now became sought-after by racers who wanted to save some weight and have a nice stiff platform to build off of.
A DISPLAY OF CLASSIC POLICE CARS
These photos were taken at the 2016 Pacific Coast Dream Machines car show/air show in Half Moon Bay CA. Every year this club shows up with all their old cop cars. These Mustangs are always popular, but they also have the big Dodge Polaras from the 60s and going back further than that.
1985 Ford Mustang CHP Car SPECIFICATONS
| Production, all ’85 Mustangs Production, 85 GT only Production, Special Service Assembly plant Price when new (MSRP) Wheelbase Length Width Height Track, front Track, rear Weight Fuel capacity Brakes, front Brakes, rear Suspension, front Suspension, rear Steering Wheels Tires GT ENGINE: 302cid/5.0L OHV V8 Fuel system w/5-speed Fuel system w/AOD auto Compression ratio Engine output w/5-speed Engine output w/AOD |
156,514 42,428 316 Dearborn MI $12,145-14,250 100.5″ 179.3″ 69.1″ 52.1″ 56.5″ 57″ 3,160 lbs 15.4 US gal 10″ disks 9″ drums Independent Live axle Rack & pinion 15″ X 7″ 225/60ZR-15Carburetor Fuel injection 8.4:1 210hp @ 4000rpm 180hp @ 4000rpm |
Modified strut, coils, sway bar 4-link, coils, sway bar Power-assist, 15.3:1 ratio Alloy, “10-hole”-style Goodyear Gatorbacks Holley 600cfm 4-barrel 270 lb-ft @ 3000rpm |
Keyword: 1985 Ford Mustang CHP Car