Cherry Red Charger -original post date 3/25/2013
If
you've ever driven on 394 near Minneapolis, this car may seem familiar
to you. State patrol has one identical to it, cherry red paint job,
white tape stripes and all. What's State Patrol doing with a cop car
that's decked out to look like a
civilian vehicle -one you'd be likely to pull along side of and rev up
your engine to challenge for a little race, even? Being sneaky, that's
what.
They know that most people can spot an unmarked squad from a mile
away thanks to certain things that differentiate fleet spec cars from
civilian models, like cheap, no nonsense steel wheels and stripped down
trim options. The cherry red Charger has been rolling long enough that
most everybody is on to it now, so I'm not spoiling any law enforcement
fun here, but I do think it was smart of them to go for such an
audacious look for the car. A cherry red cop car with contrasting
stripes and painted aluminum wheels? It can hide in plain sight, and
you won't even realize you've just roared up next to a trooper until
you're close enough to see the state patrol patch stitched to the upper
arm portion of the driver's jacket... So sneaky.
Now that Crown Victorias are being ushered out, you'll have to adjust to recognizing a whole new set of headlight, tail light, and profile signatures. You may even be asking yourself how these Chargers stack up against the old Crown Vics.
Here's a little comparison.
The police interceptor Crown Vic has a 4.6 L V8 that produces 250 horse power - 50 HP less than the 4.6L V8 when it's powering a Mustang GT.
The Chargers offered to law enforcement have a couple of power options, both of which smoke the Crown Vic. There's a base 3.6L V6 that puts out 291 HP (41 more than the CV) and 260 Lb ft of torque. This accounts for about 25% of the chargers in police service. The other 75% are equipped with a 5.7L Hemi V8 that, depending on which model year you're dealing with produces 360-370 HP (110-120 hp more than the CV) and 395 Lb ft of torque. A person looking to evade a cop who has one of these cars had better be packing a lot of power under the hood, or they might as well be in park. Interestingly enough, the civilian Hemi equipped Charger could outdo the Pursuit Charger, as it is tuned to accomodate about 10 more horseys and is likely not weighed down with a bunch of aftermarket light and sound equipment.
Both the Charger and the Crown Vic are rear wheel drive cars, so winter driving can be treacherous -especially so because I don't know of any police departments that spring for snow tires in winter.
Now that Crown Victorias are being ushered out, you'll have to adjust to recognizing a whole new set of headlight, tail light, and profile signatures. You may even be asking yourself how these Chargers stack up against the old Crown Vics.
Here's a little comparison.
The police interceptor Crown Vic has a 4.6 L V8 that produces 250 horse power - 50 HP less than the 4.6L V8 when it's powering a Mustang GT.
The Chargers offered to law enforcement have a couple of power options, both of which smoke the Crown Vic. There's a base 3.6L V6 that puts out 291 HP (41 more than the CV) and 260 Lb ft of torque. This accounts for about 25% of the chargers in police service. The other 75% are equipped with a 5.7L Hemi V8 that, depending on which model year you're dealing with produces 360-370 HP (110-120 hp more than the CV) and 395 Lb ft of torque. A person looking to evade a cop who has one of these cars had better be packing a lot of power under the hood, or they might as well be in park. Interestingly enough, the civilian Hemi equipped Charger could outdo the Pursuit Charger, as it is tuned to accomodate about 10 more horseys and is likely not weighed down with a bunch of aftermarket light and sound equipment.
Both the Charger and the Crown Vic are rear wheel drive cars, so winter driving can be treacherous -especially so because I don't know of any police departments that spring for snow tires in winter.
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