Tuesday 6th October 2009

New Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

Chevy-badged Holden Statesman marks the return of a US classic

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You've got to pity our Boys in Blue sometimes. Just as they being encouraged out of their swanky BMWs and into electric Mitsubishis, General Motors is revealing a brand new bespoke police cruiser with a chunky V8 and rear-wheel drive for stateside rozzers.

The new Chevrolet Caprice PPV (police patrol vehicle) gets a 355hp 384lb ft 6.0-litre V8 coupled to a six-speed auto that, according to GM, has been 'performance calibrated for police duty'. The suspension and brakes have been upgrade too, though by the look of the smoky getaway in the video (below) an LSD hasn't been included.

The seats have also been specially designed to accommodate an officer's equipment belt, although GM's press material sadly makes no mention of bespoke donut holders.

The eagle-eyed will spot that, although the nose bears a passing resemblance to the now-defunct Pontiac G8, this is not a resurrection of that car. It is in fact a left-hand drive version of the longer-wheelbase Holden Statesman. You've got to welcome the return of the properly rugged US police cruiser, but it is a sad indictment of Chevrolet's US offerings that the Caprice PPV is derived from an Aussie product.

Check out the video below to see the new Caprice in action.

 

[GhostDriver]

Will it still look really stupid as it slides round corners like a boat, and yet still manage to catch up to a well sorted euro sports car???

Otherwise hollywood is doomed

[JumpinJack]

Well they have the idea more so than we do over here! Bit of aggresive muscle, rather than this crappy electrified bubble thing....
I know which i'd rather call... mainly because it would make it to the scene in a decent time!

[SkinnyBoy]

still prefer being detained in the back of one of these local plod's cars.

[angus54]

A proper car - fit for purpose.

Better than some of our military vehicles...

[zidov]

I'd take one...as long as it came with the pump action shotgun option.

That's a box worth ticking...

[Schmeeky]

Now this I like - apart from the interior light, which is way too small!

[pd86]

Got the goods but doesn't look the part for me. given the choice i'd go down the dodge charger route. as this (ultra tacky) video shows! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTXJIj4FhlM

[Johnpidge]

Robocop - also ticked the pump action shotgun box!!!!!!

[DaveL86]

The dash/steering wheel looks like it's been stolen from VW/Audi.

[someoneelse]

I can just see it in an urban car chase scene. Being totally outwitted by that nippy little Mitsubishi thingamajig.

[Cerberus90]

My god, did that American car just go round a corner!!!!

Then I saw the bit in the video with the sort of banked corners, and it was only going about 5mph and looked about as stable as a unicycle. I was getting worried I was seeing things.

[predding]

Just the thing to be picked up from the pub/juliet in by the wife - with "its cop shocks, cop brakes, cop motor...."

[xyphod]

Queue "Sweet home chicago". 120 miles to chicago, full tank of gas, half a packet of cigaretts, its dark and we're wearing sun glasses. Hit it.

[308mate]

For those interested:

Most cop cars in Oz are these (the Commodore, not the Statesman) and they can be bought cheaply once the police are done with them, still with their police-pack suspension and engine tweaks.

Ridiculously, Police in WA dont use the V8 version anymore. They only get the V6. It was decided there were too many high profile accidents involving what the local birdcage liner likes to call "High powered V8s" (185kw at the time, so not exactly supercar stuff) so they canned them and stick to V6s. The performance differences at the time were so narrow it was laughable.

[pits]

Why is this news? I have read the article, and I am wondering what this actually has to do with anything remotely interesting? Tune in next week where the UK police take delivery of there new Cheverolet Matiz traffic cars

[someoneelse]

This is on a slightly geekier note, but does anyone know how much the US police differentiate their cars? Obviously in Britain, we have smaller, cheaper stuff for town (Astras etc) and then more specialised stuff for rapid response/motorway policing. When I've been in the US, you just see one type of car, generally a Chevy Impala or a Ford Crown Vic. Now, I know they'll uprate some of them to interceptor spec, but I really don't grasp why you'd use a massive V8-powered barge for city centre work like they do in NYC or Chicago. Although having said that...

[OnTheOverrun]

xyphod said:

Queue "Sweet home chicago". 120 miles to chicago, full tank of gas, half a packet of cigaretts, its dark and we're wearing sun glasses. Hit it.

It's 'cue' and 106 miles.

Tucker McElroy: Don't you say a fking word.

[ernst]

Johnpidge said:

Robocop - also ticked the pump action shotgun box!!!!!!

so true... I was just thinking Robocop, when I saw the car..
however, i think they overlooked Doughnut and Coffee holders
when designing the seats..

[JPKerr]

Good old American cars never let us down pure muscle power V8 yes what dreams are made of. Rear wheel drive oh happy days takes real men to popwerslide round corners and keep up the pace. Their is a skill here in driving these cars sadly it is lost now as most people who have never driven a rear wheel drive car would end up wrecked in the first bend taveling at a decent speed.
LONG LIVE THE V8 (and rear wheel drive)

Edited by JPKerr on Tuesday 6th October 17:28

[Citman]

At the end of the day, though, it's just another modified (albeit heavily) production car.

Whatever happened to that outfit promising a completely bespoke police cruiser - think it was this one:

http://www.carbonmotors.com/