1990 Mustang Coupe 5.0 Police Car

For the most part, the SSP was just an options package available to law enforcement and government agencies only.

There were no perfomance modifications, just durability and operational equipment upgrades (like the seat reinforcements, and oil coolers).

The 140mph/160mph, certified-calibration speedos, full-size spare tires, and single-key lock sets were standard. 130amp alternators, silicone coolant hoses were available options, as were rear window defoggers, power windows and locks.

The rumors of special, high-performance engines and suspensions were pretty rampant. I think most of them were started by Camaro and Corvette owners who were embarassed that they were out-driven by a fat guy in a Mustang.

Some agencies did some aftermarket mods, but most just used the stock SSP. They were happy with the performance vs. cost of the vehicle (the earlier SSPs were actually cheaper than the available, full-size police cars, and ran almost 25mph faster).

Unfortunately, the SSPs lacked what police really need in a car -- space. That caused them to be relegated to traffic enforcement rather than general law enforcement duties.

They are kind of rare. Only about 15,000 were built over the 12 years of production (actual numbers are unknown, even at Ford Motor Company). Some suspect that only about 1/2 are still around, and many of those modded beyond recognition.

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Another thing i like about my x-police car is that the trunk release is moved from the glove compartment to next to the ignition...now if only they moved the fuel door release somewhere else...

intrcptrstng said:

Another thing i like about my x-police car is that the trunk release is moved from the glove compartment to next to the ignition...now if only they moved the fuel door release somewhere else...

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you can put it anywhere you want. It's just held in by a clip, pull it out, extend the wires, and tape it onto your steering column if that makes you happy.

Yes, but a 'relocated deck release' was an option from 87-93

85_SS_302_Coupe said:

Rarety! Only an "estimated" 20k or so were ever made from '82-'93, of which only a few are left due to them being destroyed in the line of duty, being crushed, other people wrecking them and the older ones that have just rotted away. There really isnt any serious collectibility of these cars YET but i guarantee you there will be. It's also pretty cool to think that a cop sat in the same seat that i'm breakin laws in!

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And I totalled mine = / Atleast now mine is being used as a full drag car by some guy instead of sittin' in the junkyard...

BTW, someone said they were all 5 speeds....This is not true. A majority of them were in fact 5 speeds, but it was up to the DSO whether or not it was a 5 speed. I've seen several examples of AOD cars. Most, if not all of the earlier SSPs were 5 speeds because the AOD wasnt very dependable (in fact wasnt even an option in the early days).

One of the downsides to these cars is the fact that they had no space in the back for law breakers...so every time someone was pulled over and had to be detained, they had to call backup. I think this is probably a big reason they've stopped using them as often, due to the extra spending that's needed to call backup.

One of the big reasons the Mustangs were deployed as a Police car was the fact that they actually shortened the time needed to give speeding violations, since they could accelerate faster than the Crown Vics and Caprices of the time. More tickets given in an officers shift meant more money in tickets. This of course aside from the fact that they needed something fast to keep up with the Conquest TSIs and GNs and T Types (not to mention other Mustangs).

85_SS_302_Coupe said:

BTW, someone said they were all 5 speeds....This is not true.

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Mine's an AOD. I wish it was a 5-speed, but the AOD makes it a rare car among rare cars.

Space was definately a premium in these cars, but that did not stop all LEOs from stuffing a lawbreaker into the back of it. As long as the bad guy was non-violent, many officers would stick them in the back seat (passenger side), move the front passenger seat all the way back (to trap their feet), then recline the seat back to keep them from leaning forward.

Even though the trunk was small, the police got real good at cramming a lot into it. They would use small traffic cones, folding measuring wheels, and compact first aid kits. Shotguns that could not fit in the trunk or be mounted in the usual place inside the passenger compartment got mounted on the driver's door where the map pocket is (very handy location).

The number of tickets the officers could write in a shift may have been increased by a couple, but the primary reason the SSP Mustangs were created was to offset the poor performance of the emissions control-choked sedans of the early '80s. The fastest of them could barely reach 115mph, and it would take a very long time to do it. Add a steep mountain grade to the equation, and they'd be lucky to hit 70.

The "catch time" of the Mustangs was very important. The faster the officers could accelerate and make a traffic stop, the safer it was for everybody -- less time spent at high speeds.

The SSPs were also cheaper than the sedans, early on. A faster car for less money?! That's a no-brainer.

By the mid-'90s, the full size sedans had almost caught up to the Mustang's performance, and that pretty much spelled the end of the SSP Mustang program.

Be careful, however. I know for sure there are still a few unmarked SSPs out there doing traffic enforcement.

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