Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

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Police Interceptor of the Halton Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada.

The Police Interceptor (often referred to simply as CVPI) is the law enforcement version of the 1999 and later Ford Crown Victoria. Prior to 1999, the police car models of Crown Victorias were officially known as "P71 Crown Victorias" (which also includes the 1979-91 full-size LTDs and LTD Crown Victorias prior to 1992). The code P71 was retained when the vehicle was reclassified as the Police Interceptor, and appears in the Vehicle Identification Number and distinguishes it from the commercial (P70/P72), standard civilian (P73) and luxury civilian (P74) models. The Police Interceptor is one of the widest-used automobiles in North American police departments, and due to the "heavy duty" nature of the vehicle, is also used by many taxi companies.

Although the Police Interceptor is not sold to the general public, these cars are widely available in the used car market once they are no longer needed for law enforcement or fleet duty. In compliance with most state laws in the, used Police Interceptors are almost invariably stripped of any police decals, radio and computer equipment and emergency lights by law enforcement agencies before being sold or auctioned on the civilian markets in the United States.

Design

Police Interceptor of the NYPD.

The changes made in 1999 included a new rear fascia insignia, an all-black trim scheme which included replacing the color-keyed trunklid panels with black ones, and a black grille. Further refinements were made in 2001, including deletion of all trim on the plastic bumper pieces, and a honeycomb-style grille, replacing a slat-style grille as is found on standard Crown Victorias.

The 2004-2005 Police Interceptor (referred to many as CVPIs, P71s) are rated for 250 hp (186 kW) because of the addition of a new air intake system. This includes [a new air box] that resembles the Mercury Marauder airbox (raised airbox lid, deeper bottom) with an integrated 80mm mass air flow (MAF) sensor that is part of the airbox lid. This allows for much more precise flow calibration and reduces the chances of air leakage. [P71 zip tube] (the flexible rubber hose between the throttle body and MAF outlet) is also used to reduce NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) as well as transfer air from the airbox to the throttle body with minimal flow resistance. Kevlar-lined front doors, which might be useful as protective barriers during gun fights, are optional on the Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, new for 2006 Model Year.

Problems and criticism

Following the criticism of fires following rear-end collisions, 2005 and later model Police Interceptors now come with an optional automatic fire suppression system and special "trunk packs" designed to help prevent trunk contents from piercing the fuel tank in a collision. Each agency must pay an additional $150 for the trunk packs.

There were also some problems with early 2003 Police Interceptors. The newly designed steel wheels would rust prematurely, and the rack and pinion steering units would fail early (sub-10k miles). This was not limited to the Police Interceptor; some 2003 Mercury Marauders were also affected. However, this was only for very early 2003 models as the problems appear to have been fixed for newer models.

2004 "P71" tube (so named for Ford's ID number for the model) and [2003 Marauder airbox] retrofitted in 2000 Ford Crown Victoria

See also

• Ford Crown Victoria
• Mercury Grand Marquis/Marauder
• Lincoln Town Car
• Ford Panther platform
• Ford Motor Company

External links

• Ford Crown Victoria: [Civilian] | [Police Interceptor] (U.S.A.)

Unofficial websites and resources

• [Grandmarq.net panther body forums]
• [CrownVic.Net Forums]
• [CrownVic.us Forums]
• [Police Car Pics]
• [AutoGuideWiki.com]
• [Jonelle's Crown Vics, etc.]

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