Ford Celebrates 75 Years of Making Patrol Vehicles

1930s police vehicles with officers standing beside vintage automobiles in urban setting

Law enforcement’s love affair with powerful Fords really took off with the production of the Flathead V8 engine. First installed in the Ford Model 18 (known to many as the “Ford V8”), the Ford Flathead could produce 90 horsepower. One of the earliest to feature the Flathead was the 1932 Ford, which could hit speeds of 70 mph.

The 1930-something Ford V8s were not only popular with police and the public. They were popular with public enemies. There is a letter in the Ford archives reportedly from Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde praising the Ford V8. It was addressed to Henry Ford himself. Some historians and handwriting experts dispute the veracity of the Barrow letter, but one thing is undisputed: Bonnie and Clyde were in a 1934 Ford V8 when they were killed by Texas and Louisiana officers.

Four police officers standing beside vintage police car in front of station

Wartime Production

Despite the Great Depression, Ford was extremely innovative throughout the 1930s in the manufacture and design of civilian automobiles that could be modified for law enforcement operations. But it all ended in 1942 when the United States transformed into the largest producer of military equipment, weapons, gear, apparel, and munitions, the world has ever seen.

Ford was one of the many companies that transformed its factories for the war effort. The company made tanks, bomber planes, trucks, amphibious vehicles, and even artillery shells.

Even if Ford had been making civilian sedans in the war years, there would not have been much demand for them from law enforcement. Gas was scarce and rationed. As were tires. Police departments made do with the patrol vehicles they had.

Following the end of the war, Ford started to retool its factories to produce civilian products in 1945. Its first model year post-war was 1946. But things really didn’t start rolling until 1950.

The Boom Years

Vintage Ford Police Car marketing brochures from 1950s-1960s showcasing police vehicle designs

Five years after VJ Day, the U.S. economy is booming. American servicemen who have returned from the war and back to school or back to jobs want homes and they want cars. So, demand for Fords was high.

And that included law enforcement patrol vehicles. Many of the law enforcement agencies that had to make do with aging vehicles throughout the war wanted new machines.

In 1950 Ford met the demand for new law enforcement vehicles with its first dedicated police packages. “The 1950 police package was actually a modified 1949 Ford,” says Ted Ryan, archives and heritage brand manager for Ford. “We were the first to look at the police market, listen to our customers, and give them what they wanted.”

What they wanted was power, comfort, and economy. A 1950 press release from Ford quoted John S. French, then manager of the fleet sales section, saying, The scores of engineering and design improvements in these new cars plus special provisions for extra comfort, durability, speed, and safety to meet the hard, 24-hour service usually required of police vehicles have made the new Fords especially suitable for this work.”

The 1950 Ford Mainline police sedan was offered with three different motors: the 110-horsepower Ford V8 H.P. Special, the 100-horsepower Ford 100 H.P. V8, and the 95-horsepower 95 H.P. Six. The transmission was a “three-on-the-tree” manual.

One of the features that Ford touted on the vehicles was their electrical system. “For big electrical loads, including two-way police radios, there is a 60-ampere generator and regulator assembly which maintains maximum current even at idling speeds…” French said in the press release.

In 1952, Ford launched the Interceptor, a name that has been used for many of its police vehicle packages ever since. It had an option for a 125-horsepower V8 under the hood. It also was available with the Fordomatic automatic transmission.

Four years later, the 1956 Interceptor offered a 215 horsepower V8 and a top speed in excess of 100 mph. Less powerful options were also available. Agencies could even buy a station wagon version of the 1956 Interceptor.

Ford closed out its first decade of police package vehicles with the 1958 models. And, yes, they had fins. They also had the Cruise-o-Matic automatic transmission. Engine power on the ‘58s ranged from 303 horsepower for the police-exclusive 361 (cubic inch) Special V8 to 145 horsepower for the Mileage Maker Six.

Fairlanes and Galaxies

If you’ve ever watched the first five seasons of “The Andy Griffith Show” with Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, then you’ve seen one of Ford’s coolest old police cars in action: the 1960 Fairlane.

The 1960 Fairlane Police Interceptor was available with a 352-cubic-inch V8 engine that could generate 300 horsepower. Transmission options were a three-speed manual or a three-speed automatic.

Ford launched a wide variety of police and public safety during the 1960s. A brochure for the 1962 Ford law enforcement vehicles features the Galaxie Mainliner, the continuing evolution of the Fairlane with no fins, the Ford Police Wagon, the Ford Police Interceptor, the Police Guardian, the Police Sentinel, and the Police Deputy, the Police Ranger, and the Police Sentry. The Police Interceptor came with a 330 horsepower V8. Some of the other vehicles in the brochure were designed as more general purpose vehicles for public safety duty. The 1962 Police Ranger and Police Sentry models were the first V8-equipped Ford law enforcement vehicles with engines the company described as “economical” V8s.

Variety of models and options was a common theme in 1960’s auto marketing. And the same was true for Ford’s Police fleet marketing. “In 1962 Ford offered 26 different models,” says Lindsey J. Bertino, Ford police brand marketing manager. “Today (2025), we have six police programs or supporting programs.

Perhaps the high-water mark for Ford police vehicles in the 1960s was 1966. The police vehicles in the 1966 Ford brochure look like 1960s muscle sedans. It’s the year of the Galaxie 500 consumer sedan and the Ford Custom 500 police car. Available in a two- and a four-door version, the Custom 500 had a 428 cubic-inch engine, and it hit speeds of more than 100 mph. It also had power disc brakes to bring it to a sudden stop. Other models offered in 1966 were built on Fairlane and Falcon platforms.

Oil Embargoes and Inflation

The 1960s were the glory decade of the American automobile industry. The Big 3 turned out sedans, and coupes, and muscle cars that are still prized 60 years later for their styling and performance. All of that pretty much ended with the 1972 model year. “I would call it the great malaise for the American auto industry,” Ryan says.

Ford’s brochure for 1972 police vehicles touts updated versions of the Galaxie and the Torino. A year earlier Ford started offering four-barrel carburetors on its high-performance police vehicles. By 1973 and the gas shortages and rationing, it’s likely that very few police customers wanted the four-barrel on their patrol cars.

Also Read: Department Restores 1972 Patrol Car, Surprises Sheriff

Oil shortages in 1973 and 1979 didn’t effect law enforcement as much as they did the public. Officers were not fueling up on odd or even days like civilian drivers, but gasoline was precious and some agencies switched to more economical cars.

LTDs and Mustangs

By the early 1980s, gasoline was much more plentiful and agencies were buying powerful Ford police vehicles again. The 1983 LTD Crown Victoria S had a 5.0-liter V8, and a wide variety of standard features, including an overdrive transmission, power steering, power front disc brakes and rear drum brakes, and halogen headlights. The police package also included heavy-duty springs and shock absorbers.

In addition to the first generation of the Crown Victoria , the 1983 Ford police cars brochure featured the Fairmont Futura police vehicle. The Fairmont Futura was an economical police vehicle with a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder or a 3.3-liter engine 6-cylinder engine. It saw duty in the 1980s as a special services vehicle and an urban patrol vehicle.

The absolute opposite of the 4-cylinder Fairmont was the Police Package Mustang. Ford started marketing the Mustang Police Package in 1982. The ad showed a California Highway Patrol Mustang 5.0 and the headline was: This Ford Chases Porsches for a Living. The Mustang Police Package could go from a dead stop to 50 mph in 6.3 seconds with a top speed of 120 mph. “It was a police vehicle that was fast enough to keep up with the growing number of imported sports cars that were on the road in California at the time,” Ryan says.

The Crown Vic

Black and white police patrol car in motion with emergency lights

From the early 1990s until 2012, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was so popular with law enforcement that speeders would look for the car’s distinctive grill in their rearview mirrors before accelerating.

The Crown Vic Police Interceptor debuted in 1992 as a replacement for the LTD Crown Victoria. Because of the power offered by its 4.6-liter modular V8, its roomy interior, and its heavy-duty chassis and suspension, the CVPI was America’s most popular police car for 20 years.

Even though the last Crown Victoria Police Interceptor rolled off the assembly line in 2012, they are still out there as patrol vehicles and support vehicles. LAPD, for example, placed an order for 600 Crown Vics in 2011. In 2023, two-thirds of those vehicles were still on patrol.

Bertino says on some agencies that still use Crown Vics , driving one is an honor. “You actually have to be a senior officer to pick one,” she says. “You have to have more than 20 years in service to be able to drive one of the Crown Vics. The agencies that still have them maintain those cars; they take care of them really well.”

One of the reasons the Crown Vic Police Interceptor was such an enduring police vehicle is that Ford repeatedly updated the styling, the ergonomics, and the engineering. The basics of the CVPI remained the same: the 4.6-liter, 250 horsepower engine that made it such a versatile patrol vehicle, but the standard features and options improved over its run.

The SUV Age

Black and white police interceptor vehicles in urban nighttime street scene

Ford replaced the Crown Vic with two new models of patrol vehicles: the Police Interceptor and the Police Interceptor Utility .

Derived from the sixth-generation Ford Taurus sedan, the Police Interceptor debuted in the 2013 model year. It was the first Ford police vehicle powered by the company’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine. The direct injection, twin turbo EcoBoost engine gave the Police Interceptor sedan the acceleration of a V8. The Taurus SHO PI was a very capable police sedan, but it never caught on. By 2020, it was no longer available.

The PI sedan was eclipsed by the PI Utility. Ford’s Police Interceptor version of the Explorer SUV has proven to be the best-selling vehicle in use by contemporary law enforcement. Agencies need more room for gear and equipment than they did in the age of the patrol sedan. They also want performance. The Ford PIU delivered on both demands.

Originally available with the same 3.5-liter twin turbo EcoBoost engine featured on the Police Interceptor Sedan or a 3.7-liter normally aspirated V6, the Ford Police Interceptor Utility has been a consistent top performer at the Michigan State Police patrol vehicle evaluations.

Another top performing patrol vehicle of the current era is the world’s first pursuit-rated pickup truck.

Introduced in 2017, the 2018 Ford F-150 Police Responder is based on the F-150 SuperCrew. Like many Ford vehicles of its era, the pursuit pickup is powered by a 3.5-liter EcoBoost. The twin turbo engine produces 375 horsepower, giving the F-150 Police Responder a top speed of 100 mph. Designed for off-road and on-road police work, the 2018 F-150 is a 4x4 with a 10-speed SelectShift transmission and five different operation modes.

The second generation of the F-150 Patrol Responder was launched in 2021. It’s also powered by the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, but the engine now generates 400 horsepower versus the 375 horsepower of the earlier model. That extra horsepower gives the 2021 F-150 Patrol Responder a top speed of 120 mph. The 2021 F-150 Patrol Responder also featured an improved interior with a larger infotainment display.

Hybrids and EVs

German Shepherd police dog sitting next to a hybrid police patrol car

As Ford celebrated its 70th year of offering special police package vehicles, the company rolled out one of its most innovative patrol vehicles, the Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid . The vehicle offered many advantages over standard gasoline engine patrol vehicles and generated significant customer interest when order banks opened in 2019 for the 2020 Model Year.

An early challenge Ford faced was meeting that high level of demand during the unprecedented supply chain disruptions caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and subsequent widespread parts shortages meant that critical components like semiconductors — 1,000s of which go into every modern vehicle — were spread thin across the auto industry.

Despite these early supply challenges, PIU Hybrid production capacity has grown to keep pace with demand. The vehicle has demonstrated impressive fuel savings potential, with the 2025 Police Interceptor Utility with standard hybrid powertrain potentially saving an estimated 838 gallons of fuel per year, per vehicle. That translates to $2,933 in potential savings per year, per vehicle (assuming a gas price of $3.50 per gallon), with savings potentially growing to approximately $17,600 over a 6-year ownership term. Additionally, there's a potential environmental benefit of 14,800 pounds of CO2 reduction per year, per vehicle.

“For the 2026 Model Year, Ford is bringing the PIU Hybrid in line with that of the non-Hybrid PIU, removing a cost-related barrier to entry for police departments, fire departments, and other public safety customers. That’s how much we believe in the hybrid powertrain and the savings it can offer buyers,” Bertino says.

Like the rest of Ford’s police vehicle lineup, the PIU Hybrid has proven its performance at the Michigan State Police testing, so it's likely the new pricing will increase sales. For the 2025 model year, the PIU Hybrid with all-wheel drive hit a top speed of 136 mph and a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 7.76 seconds. That’s slightly slower than the 2025 PIU Utility with the 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine and all-wheel drive and a little faster than the standard 3.3-liter gas engine PIU Utility.

Ford’s other major innovation of the 2020s was the Mustang Mach-E battery electric patrol vehicle. As of this writing, the electric Mustang has not been offered in a true police package but Ford does sell it to law enforcement agencies for use as a patrol vehicle. The Mach E has been impressive in testing by the Michigan State Police. During the MSP’s 2024 model year testing, the Mach E hit a top speed of 124 mph and demonstrated a blistering 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 4.07 seconds. The Mustang Mach-E is currently in service with the New York City Police Department.

Over 75 years of making special police package vehicles, Ford has produced many iconic patrol cars. With the battery electric and fuel cell vehicles of the future, Ford will likely continue that legacy.

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