Jeremy Madden? Priceless.
"Just the sight of it sitting on the side of the road can slow even the speediest of cars. Viewing it in a rearview mirror can cause fear and panic. The rumble of its engine can make the ground shake.
It’s real and it’s all mine. It’s my new car and I’ve never driven anything like it.
Over the years I’ve had a plethora of pretty cool cars. Most notable are a 1973 Volkswagen Thing, my grandfather’s 1991 Buick Park Avenue, a precious 1984 American Eagle we called Smeagol, and the classic 1979 Dodge Aspen which is the car that made the town famous. However, as fun, dependable and historic as those vehicles may be, they aren’t anything like my new ride.
That’s because my newest ride is a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, aka CVPI or P71. And like Dan Aykroyd said in the classic 1980 film, “The Blues Brothers,” when describing the new Blues mobile which also was a former cop car, “It’s got a cop engine ... it’s got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks.”
But Elwood Blues was only covering the basics. It’s also got a cop transmission, cop frame, cop radiator, cop brakes, and perhaps the coolest feature of all is the cop spot light mounted on the driver’s door.
For decades, because of its dependability, handling, toughness, powerful engine, spacious interior and giant trunk, the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor has been the preferred vehicle for police forces around the country. These same features have also made it one of the most sought after cars for cab companies as well. The car is a hybrid that was built long before Toyota ever dreamed up the Prius. The only difference being that the Toyota hybrid combines an engine that uses an electric battery with a conventional gas motor, and the Ford combines a tank with a sports car.
The first thing one notices about the interior of the car is that it is extremely spacious. There’s room for at least three perps in the back seat and several dozen donuts in the front.
The car is also very basic. Other than the ballsy V8 4.6 liter engine the cars has no frills. It’s completely utilitarian. And I like that. One of the more appealing features is that it has gauges for everything. There are no mystery lights that suddenly spring on and tell you too late that your car is overheating or losing oil pressure. However, the most appealing aspect of the interior is the speedometer. It goes to 140 mph.
The real fun comes while driving the beast. The car is smooth, stable and accelerates like a rocket. When some German coined the term “fahrvernugen,” loosely translated as driving joy, he might as well have been talking about the Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor. It truly is a joy to drive. But the greatest pleasure of being behind the wheel is seeing how other folks react when they see me coming...." (Read more? Click title)
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