Yesterday we asked you what you thought was the coolest cop bike – it being Two Wheel Tuesday and all – and today we’re asking the same question, but are adding a couple of tires to the mix. As legend has it, COP stands for Constable On Patrol, and whether that’s true or not, cops these days still ride in patrol cars – at least those here in the vast expanses of the LAPD’s coverage. Patrol cars Prowlers, Police Interceptors, the cops generally get some pretty cool rides, cars that manage to both idle for hours and then perform a high speed pursuit without breaking a sweat.
It’s probably those ones whose primary purpose is the high-speed pursuit that most piques your interest – cars like the CHP Mustang GTs, or Nevada’s Camaros. Of course, those are also the last things you usually want to see looming in your rear view. Hollywood has a long history of portraying law enforcement, as well as their various rides, and tinsel town by way of Australia provided one of the best in Mad Max’s yellow and blue Interceptor.
Maybe that’s the one that’ll get your nod, or maybe you want to stick with real cop cars, in which case the Mopar crowd has some crowing rights, as exhibited by the following story from allpar.com:
A Nevada Highway State Trooper, while patrolling in the mountains near Sparks in his 1957 Plymouth, spotted a tractor-trailer going down the mountain. The driver signaled wildly that the air brakes had gone out. The Trooper wheeled around in a “bootlegger’s turn” at 40 miles an hour. He then accelerated to over 120 mph to catch the run away truck. Momentarily blocked by on coming traffic, the Trooper had to stay in line behind the free wheeling 18 wheeled monster. He clocked it at 85 mph, as it was accelerating climbing towards 90. As soon as he got clear, the Trooper accelerated past the roaring 60 tons of rolling menace. Once in front of the tractor, he backed off the throttle, slowly allowed the tractor’s front bumper to contact the rear of the Plymouth. Using his service brakes, the Trooper steadily pumped the brake pedal, keeping the front bumper of the truck against his car. At first, it didn’t seem to have much affect. However, with smoke coming from all four of the Plymouth’s service brakes, the speed began to steadily decrease. Slowly, then more rapid. 80…75…65…60…50…then 40…30…and finally down to 20 miles per hour where the tractor driver was able to stop by using his transmission downshifting, and the soft edge of the road. It was a good thing because the Plymouth had precious little left to give. As the Trooper stopped the two front tires explosively blew out from the tremendous heat. The fins and truck area were bashed in, as well as pushed downwards from the force of the weight of the truck. However, Once again, MoPar engineering had saved lives! Had that truck entered the small town at the base of the mountain, who knows how many could have been injured or killed. It would have easily surpassed 120 miles an hour on the 25 mile long grade, becoming a 60 ton road rocket with disastrous destructive potential. Bashed, bruised, and burnt out as it was, after the tires were changed, the Plymouth brought the Trooper safely back to his station.
So, Plymouth or Rover 3500, Gallardo or Mustang, what do you think has been the coolest cop car ever?
Image source: [conelrad adjacent]
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