Cop brakes, cop engine, cop suspension.

[Faker]

And an old armoured mk5 cortina from Google

[eddyramrod]

Have you been at Leighton Hall today?

[UltraWomble]

Have you been at Leighton Hall today?

See Wombles Wheelz Thread...

http://autoshite.com/topic/19373-wombles-wheels-sad-moggie-owner/page-15

But yes, its a stone's throw from our place in Capernwray

[Rod/b]

The current US staple seems to be these v6 Explorers. Look at the nudge bars on this thing!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-Ford-Explorer-Police-AWD-/112406325889?epid=232714889&hash=item1a2bf06a81:g:0DEAAOSwONBZF3JC&vxp=mtr

Actually badged a Ford Interceptor rather than an Explorer. My ex-local Ford dealer in Qatar had one in for appraisal, and I had a look over it. Vinyl seats in the back, third row deleted, column shift instead of the stick shift in the Explorer, with all of the centre console deleted and replaced with mounting panels for electronics kit. It has the Explorer Sport engine instead of the standard Explorer engine.

 

They also had a sedan Interceptor in based on the Fusion.

[Rod/b]

A127 I think.

Yep, just by Ford's research place in Dunton. This was a Ford press shot.

[Felly Magic]

NYP's Scoobys were full Prodrive rally spec, and would easily top 150, I remember the WYP Sierras too, GLS style body, minus sunroof, keep fit windows, and Cologne V6 2.9, even their early Sierras were buttery biscuit base models, with Ghia bumpers and Cologne V6, more than likely 2.8i powered, I did see a mk3 Fiesta panda car catch a stolen Porsche 924 in Crossgates, it got in front of it, and rammed it off the road, somehow I don't think that was a 1.0 Popular

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Volvos for The Old Bill have always been available with updated suspension, brakes even engines. It seems they still are

http://www.volvocars.com/uk/buy/finance-sales/special-sales/emergency-services.

 

Any ex-Police cars I've had experience of ; Mondeo 2.5, Octavia VRS, Focus Tdc, Senator 24v , Granada 2.8 and Rover 3500 all seemed to be mechanically standard but very basic.

The Granada and SD1 didn't have PAS for example.

The Senator had no aircon or adjustable dampers.

 

The manufacturers worked with Forces to improve cars in service, for example the Minilites and competition pads fitted to Met 2600 Sd1 Area Response cars( but not 3500 Traffic ones) in the 80's to try and overcome the brake fade problems.

Also Sirrea 2.0 GLS Twin Cam autos doing the same job 10 years later all had vented 4X4 Cossie bonnets.

 

The exception to never driving an ex-Police car that seemed faster than it should is this thing

Brother bought it from Witney Auction last summer. Met Police, 4 pot auto with a/c and 2nd row of seats. Immaculate inside , just a few holes where something like a gun safe had been fitted.

But, it went like fook ! When we picked it up it kept up with my E280 , literally on the back bumper up to silly speeds. iIt must have had a Brabus chip or something, but why not buy a V6 in the first place

[Supernaut]

There's one of those granadas in the transport museum in Glasgow. The current crop of police cars just seem to be large diesel engine, really basic trim level. I remember them being all sorts of rumours about hotted up SD1's but I don't think it was true or at least not proved.

Grampian Transport Museum, in Alford, have an ex Grampian Police Rover SD1. It's glorious. V8, manual, and absolutely base-spec trim (manual windows all-round!) They apparently bought it to catch speeders when the A90 Stonehaven bypass was completed.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Grampian Transport Museum, in Alford, have an ex Grampian Police Rover SD1. It's glorious. V8, manual, and absolutely base-spec trim (manual windows all-round!) They apparently bought it to catch speeders when the A90 Stonehaven bypass was completed.

 

Is that the one that was restored on for the love of cars?

 

Edit: Yes it is

 

[Hendry]

The random customisable specs ordered by Forces in the past don't seem much of a thing these days, it's like they just ordered standard cars.

 

The marked uniform cars round here are by and large all Focus diesel Estates in base Studio spec but not any different from a civilian Studio spec, except from being fitted with alloys from a Titanium spec, that's either because they have bigger pads and discs that need bigger wheels to fit under, or the alloys have more ventilation for cooling the brakes down purposes.

 

They have the odd base model Astra which were clearly Grampian cars before Police Scotland happened and the cars got shunted around different stations in different areas.

 

They've just started using Peugeot 308 estates so presumably these will replace the Focus and Astra completely as I've never seen one of the facelift Aston Martin grille type Focus as a cop car.

 

CID still have some mk2 60 plate Focuses, a couple of 11 plate Fiestas, a couple of 61 plate Hyundai i30s, and some Astra Js.

 

The traffics have unmarked 3 series, 5 series and Audi A4s, as well as a lot of base model Astra Js with alloys but otherwise standard. Then there's marked 5 series, and Audi A6s.

 

There doesn't seem to be any of the biggest most powerful engine, upgraded brakes, high spec looking exterior but basic interior with no spec, the spec seems to just be whatever normal spec for the model is, but it utterly amazes me just how many people whizz by the police because they either don't pay attention to the obvious things like extra aerials on the roof, or the additional strobes on the sides of the bumpers and the message bar on the parcel shelf and go whizzing by them, or the not as obvious but everyone should be in the know by now it's been going on that long thing, most police cars round here still have regs beginning SF even though cars get swapped around stations up and down the country, so anytime I see an SF registered car I'm on my guard, plus 9/10 out of 10 it is cops because although they do exist there are very few civilian private cars here registered SF, the other giveaway is the plate, firstly the cars all round here that are cop cars say MRC2 G51 4DU on the plate which is a giveaway for a cop workshop, secondly it's so small it's hardly readable so any car without dealer plates or even the name of a motor factor highly visible raises my suspicions. Secondly the S on cop plates here looks like a backwards Z because it's so squared off rather than rounded.

 

The fly bastards have begun using cars outwith the area though, there's a silver A4 goes about on MJ61YRW, I've seen people pulled over on motorways before and always make a mental note of the cop car reg, I'm good at remembering stuff like that so every time I see one it pings up in my mind, they always drive quite suspiciously and slowly which spikes my attention, hardly ever see a BM or Audi driving within speed limit let alone slowly, and as I pass I always manage a wee glance to see if they have cop uniforms on and again make a mental note of the reg.

 

I have to be honest I love when they pull me over for a routine check, not that it happens often but I love how they're wasting their time because I have my licence, mot and insurance docs to hand, they're obviously verified by ANPR anyway, and I know my cars A1 roadworthiness wise because I check stuff regularly and replace if it's not, so I know my wipers, washers, brakes, tyres etc are all spot on, and my car has a bulb failure warning display so I know when a bulbs out too, it's fun watching them search for non existent faults, check my licence, run my details for a wanted person check, and I know I haven't jumped any red lifhrs because I never do, and I know I haven't sped because I've watched my speedo like a hawk the minute I've saw them, plus I always look down side streets, up slip roads and so on for them when I'm speeding, very aware, never one to speed and switch off and not pay attention and end up not spotting cops.

[sierraman]

The days of it being necessary to up the BHP went out as soon as the police got the Helicopter. Once that's on your case you've had it.

[Lord Sterling]

A lady over on the Rover 800 forum owns an ex-plod Rover 827Si police car still in its full livery. She is a serving police officer herself.

 

Another chap on the site has a Sterling that belonged to the Queen/Royal Household. It has a slightly different engine number that denotes it has a different tuning method. Apparently it is much more livelier acceleration over a standard 827.

[Ghosty]

Manchester seems to have a pretty odd, but sure of logical range of unmarked cars. I've seen a Golf R, base spec Evoque in blue, and a lot of BMWs - liveried anpr interceptors are 135i hatches, but I've seen unmarked 5s, 3 series Touring etc.

Best one I saw was a purple Skoda Superb estate with blacked out windows, the lights on, bombing down the road dragging its arse along the ground - evidently full of armed on the way to a raid or something.

[Lord Sterling]

Oddly enough on the M42 and M5 I've seen various strange unmarked vehicles going some with blues and twos on different occasions. I've seen a Mitsubishi Warrior 4x4, a white LWB Mercedes Sprinter panel van (yes, unmarked, blues and twos going) an Audi S3 (probably not that unusual) pretty sure I've seen a Fiesta ST and years ago in Dudley I saw an unmarked silver Mitsubishi Carisma pulling someone over.

 

Some weeks ago on the A1 by Peterborough an unmarked BMW 3 series came speeding up and braked near to the Jeep Renegade I was driving with the rear message boards just saying "SLOW DOWN" I think they were checking my trade plates as the rear one fell off the rear window onto the parcel shelf so couldn't be seen. Cops then just cleared off and got behind another vehicle.

[Cleon-Fonte]

Humberside Police had the right idea when it came to renewing their fleet a few years ago.

 

[Cleon-Fonte]

As well as the preserved Grampian Police SD1, the Metropolitan Police also keep an SD1 in their own collection.

 

 

It's perhaps most famous for being the backup/camera car for the Liver Run, which was televised a few years later.

 

 

[Hendry]

Humberside Police had the right idea when it came to renewing their fleet a few years ago.

 

proton-waja-impian-uk-police-car-2.jpg

 

What on earth were they thinking? :S

[Brodders]

What on earth were they thinking? :S

Has nobody said "handling by Lotus" yet?

[Richard]

IIRC they run on LPG, they aren't traffic cars though.

[cort16]

I think most of the Audi 3.0 TDI's or 530d's they use now will do 150mph and sub 6 seconds to 60 and have the brakes etc to cope.

Probably a few years ago they needed some modifications to make them competitive. I think they rely on strategy and helicopters now to stop you rather than all out speed. The crown vic's in the states are the same they're not really that fast.

[cort16]

I'd rather have the Proton

 

[bunglebus]

The Old Bill can be sneaky buggers. They were running a 5+ year old unmarked Focus in Brentwood for a while, you just don't expect that to be Plod.

 

I've had an update from my S-type owning friend, previous owner saw fit to "upgrade" the car (probably in the 70's) with a leather interior, dash with all instruments and transmission.

 

Here's an image of an un-modified one.

 

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I read somewhere that those black dash S-Types all came from the factory with the usual walnut, which was taken out used as a template for the hardboard, then binned, along with the rev counter .

Of course it was more expensive, but if a member of the public looked inside they could see the Police were'nt spoiling their coppers with too much luxury.

[Felly Magic]

WYP used to have a green Vito van with ladders on the roof, saw that fly past me once with blues & 2s going, surreal

[cort16]

On ebay just now

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/dodge-charger-ex-police-5-7-hemi-/302372013795?hash=item4666c6c6e3:g:ApQAAOSw~e5ZWp5V

[Hendry]

Are those in any way related to those Dodge Avenger things they sold in the UK for a few years?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Are those in any way related to those Dodge Avenger things they sold in the UK for a few years?

No, they're the same as Chrysler 300s, in fact in America the estate only came as a Dodge. Which of course makes them Mercedes W210s.

I looked into getting some of those 18" Police spec steels for my 300, the only ones available a few years ago were $300 each, before shipping!

 

Just seen the price WTF ? For £10k you can get a perfect SRT8 300C (6.1 Hemi instead of 5.7) with the steering wheel in the right place and a luxury interior that no Michigan crack addicts have had a shit in.

[Felly Magic]

These were ordinary cheapo ally ladders on standard van racks by the looks, I suspect it was often used as a surveillance unit by CID, van was always filthy as well. Plod also had a battered mk3 Fiesta used as a speed trap before the law changed to make plod visible, used to regularly be near Belle Isle Circus as that road was well known for people hoofing it

[Felly Magic]

Nope, just boggo ally ladders, it just looked like your average tradesmans van, a clever idea tbh

[JeeExEll]

Pre Sierra Cosworth era.