Impersonating a police officer is a serious offense. As today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Mustang proves however, aping a cop car is just fine. Let’s see if this not-a-cop notch’s price lays down the law.
While I argued yesterday that GM’s third generation F-body was the prettiest—at least in Camaro form—it’s hard to defend the car on performance grounds. Hell, some models even came with the lowly Iron Duke!
Add to those issues the convertible roof on yesterday’s 1992 Camaro Z28 and let’s just throw all pretenses out the window—that car is likely floppier than an opiated octopus. You can toss that black on black Camaro’s $6,000 price tag out too, seeing as 79-percent of you doomed it with a Crack Pipe loss.
The Camaro was initially Chevy’s answer to Ford’s Mustang, and as such was complicit in the demise of the Corvair. Chevy’s pony never quite enjoyed the enthusiastic following the Mustang, somehow magically fomented. The Mustang’s success has always been built on its chameleon-like quality. It’s the everyman’s/woman’s car, able to satisfy the cravings from sporty coupe lovers all the way up to rock ’em sock ‘em robot V8-needing wild thangs.
Even the cops loved them. For a time there, the Mustang was second to fried toroidal pastries in police popularity. So popular were the light weight pursuit ‘Stangs that they became somewhat legendary even out of law enforcement. That resulted in someone building this 1989 Mustang 5.0 Notch SSP tribute car in their honor.
SSP stood for Special Services Package which is a pretty dull name if you ask me, which you didn’t. Personally, I would have preferred ‘Fox Force Five’ from Quinten Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. I mean, how perfect would that have been?
The SSP started life with a basic 5.0-powered Notch body style, the lightest Mustang there was at the time, and making for a real hot rod. To that was added a bunch of durability enhancements, things like an oil cooler, crazy big alternator, floorpan reinforcement, and a full-sized spare tire. In an attempt to cut weight, pretty much every thing else—radio, electric windows, fuzzy dice, etc.—were given the ol’ heave ho.
Based on its VIN, this blue on grey Notch never served on the thin blue line. The car is outfitted as a New York State Trooper pursuit car, and admittedly the cosplay is pretty intense.
The 302-CID V8 under the hood carries a Cobra badged intake which might take you out of the moment, but it does rock silicon coolant hoses which are right for a cop car. Black painted alloys with bright centers are a nice nod too, as is the spotlight on the A-pillar. Why don’t more cars in general have this feature?
The bodywork and paint looks to be in great shape and the seller notes that it ‘has NO RUST, NO CHIPS, NO DINGS.’ The interior is all new and comes wrapped in blue velour. This being a later Foxstang, it rocks the more modern and less tissue paper fragile dash.
It also comes replete with cop gear inside and in the trunk. The only thing you don’t get with the car is the NY special plate which is apparently on loan. To be honest, the seller can keep the shotty in the boot as well.
This ‘Stang has racked up just 900 miles since starting the tribute tour, and there’s only 100K on the clock in total. The seller says it’s accident free and comes with a clean title. If you’re into police band sound tracks (no, not that Police band) you can check out even more pics in the seller’s YouTube video of the car.
The asking price is a hefty $16,900, but for that you get what appears to be a pretty sweet five-point-oh, backed up by a stick, and sporting some nice police car accouterments. All in all, that’s a pretty compelling offering. Ah, but is it $16,900 compelling?
You decide!
Syracuse, NY Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Fletch for the hookup!
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