Posted on 11/14/2010 10:37:47 AM PST by llevrok
Medford police Officer Jason Montalbano loves his Crown Victoria, its bulk, its toughness, its engines quiet purr. He takes his police cruiser to the car wash at least three times a week. He dangles a yellow Vanillaroma scent tree from the console to mask the stench of stogies smoked by the overnight patrol officers. And sometimes, late at night when the city is quiet, Montalbano, the son of a cop, will take the 250-horsepower sedan out onto Interstate 93 and hit the gas until he is flying down the open road.
Like his father and thousands of other officers across the country, Montalbano is a diehard Crown Vic devotee. For more than 30 years, the hulking, blunt, long-nosed car has been an officers battering ram, mobile office, dinner companion, and stoic partner. But now, that love affair is headed toward the scrap yard.
In 2011, the last Crown Vic will roll off the Ford assembly line to make way for a new police vehicle the 2012 Ford Interceptor, a sleek cruiser with all-wheel drive, better gas mileage, and new gadgets, such as rearview cameras and radar sensors that detect vehicles in surrounding lanes. As the Crown Vics wear out, police departments will have to look for new options, and that realization has left some officers feeling despondent.
Ford is making a big mistake, said Quincy Officer Mike Foley, who has been driving Crown Vics for at least 12 years. I will probably shed a tear when the last Crown Vic goes down the assembly line.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Officer Jason Montalbano and his Crown Victoria, long a police favorite.
2007 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
Before the Crown Vic it was the Matador and Dodge Pursuit.
For some reason Dodge dropped out. They wanted to make a comeback with the Magnum but I don’t think there were a lot of takers.
You can’t hang to a frame forever. I assume when the Crown Vix ends so does the Mercury Grand Marquis.
Unless you own one you don’t realize how BIG those suckers are (I get one from time to time in my weekly rentals)!
All wheel drive will be great for we who live in the Northern states.
I have a a Mercury Grand Marquis. I love it. They are lighter than the Lincoln Continental; but it does the job.
Convert your getaway car to biodiesel and the police wouldn't have a chance. (yeah, I know, not 100% electric...)
When non-cops do that it's called "speeding".
Anyone know anything about the 2012 Ford Interceptor?
Some are more equal.
>>They are lighter than the Lincoln Continental; but it does the job.<<
Thus proving everything is relative... :)
Of my 22 years as a peace officer in TX, 20 of them was spent behind the wheel of Crown Vic’s. They will be missed! But I have to add that the new V8 Chargers run circles around the old Vic.
“Before the Crown Vic it was the Matador and Dodge Pursuit.”
Back when RWD was the norm, all different cars were used by police. Smaller ones like the Dart/Valiant would be employed for city use, and the full-sizers for highway patrol.
“For some reason Dodge dropped out. They wanted to make a comeback with the Magnum but I dont think there were a lot of takers.”
Chrysler had the M-body Diplomat and Gran Fury through 1989, but then gave up on the police market until the Magnum. I actually do see a fair number of police Magnums, so it’s not as uncommon as you think.
“Unless you own one you dont realize how BIG those suckers are”
The Crown Vic is considered a full-sized car by today’s standards, but back in the ‘70s it would have been mid-sized. You only need to have seen the LTD and Marquis of that era to know what I mean.
I won’t shed any tears. The Fords were dogs for years, and were eclipsed by the Chevy Caprice and later, the Dodge Charger. The Charger has much more get up and go than any of the Crown Vics.
“All wheel drive” is usually just marketer-speak for “front wheel drive.”
Yeah, they throw a little power to the rear, but not much.
This Taurus...err..Interceptor is not going to succeed, I’d guess. Not when agencies can buy the Dodge Charger, or GM’s new RWD Caprice.
And he doesn't have to worry about getting a ticket. Laws are for the little people.
“The Charger has much more get up and go than any of the Crown Vics.”
Much newer design. The Crown Vic goes back to 1992.
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