Slideshow: Hands Up! One Bid Can Make this 1989 CHP SSP Yours

The California Highway Patrol’s stealth (crime) fighter

Big. Boxy. Bulky. These are the things that a proper police car should be. Back in 1989, car enthusiasts across our great land were on the lookout for the Chevy Caprice, Ford Crown Victoria, and the like. It wasn’t until the CHP’s signature A-pillar-mounted red spotlight came on that the fast-moving black Mustang LX 5.0 behind me registered in my mind as being THE “Five-Oh.” I didn’t get a ticket that day, but I did come away with the desire to own my own bad-ass CHP SSP Mustang. If you’ve ever wanted one, too, look no further than Lot 4084 at Russo & Steele’s Newport Beach auction June 8-10.

A beloved car born of compromise

Police cruisers—then, as now—are, by and large, exactly that: large cruisers. Sure, Ford’s EcoBoost-powered Explorer and Taurus PPVs are decent performers—especially considering they’re precincts-on-wheels—but many departments rely on vehicles like the Dodge Charger for “traffic duty.” Back in the day, if you wanted a smaller and speedier mount versus the typical law enforcement lummox, it was to the Fox-body Ford Mustang you’d turn (Camaros of the day were infamous for their terrible engines). And turn the California Highway Patrol did, developing with Ford the law-enforcement-only Special Service Package, which is chock full of expected non-civilian features, and a few—like a five-speed manual transmission—you’d think the CHP wouldn’t want. And yet…

>>Join the conversation about this CHP SSP Mustang for sale right here in The Mustang Source.

Messing with what works… worked

While originally created in 1982 at the CHP’s behest, the Mustang SSP was made widely available to other official organizations during its 15,000-vehicle/11-year production run. Its users included 34 states, seven federal and 18 local/municipal agencies, and as befits a vehicle with an equine name, Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In each case, Ford offered them variations on the theme, including or excluding options and features to fit the recipients’ needs. In the CHP’s case, the vast majority of its 2,500 5.0-liter SSPs were “notchback” coupes with manual transmissions, oil coolers, silicone radiator hoses with aircraft-style clamps, heavy-duty alternators, reinforced floor pans, “single key” doors and trunk, certified speedometers with two-piece cables, a full-size spare tire, and more, just like the 1989 model for sale here.

>>Join the conversation about this CHP SSP Mustang for sale right here in The Mustang Source.

“This Ford Chases Porsches for a Living…”

If you’ve built a vehicle that law enforcement likes, you’ll know it. And if it’s a dog’s breakfast, you’ll really know it. There are cars you can’t get a cop to set foot in, and cars you can’t get them out of. To hear them talk about the SSP Mustang—especially given the broad range of “thems” that used it—you’d think this was the best vehicle ever put into government service. Consider: While it’s true that you would have to call another car to come to tote your perp to the station as the SSP Mustang has no “in back” to speak of, it was cheaper, lighter, more fuel-efficient and better-handling than the average sedan without sacrificing durability or increasing repair costs. Oh, and even though those 5.0 engines were essentially stock, an SSP Mustang can hit 60 mph from rest in under six seconds, just a few tenths off most of the cars it was designed to chase down, including—as that adverting slogan mentions—certain German cars…

>>Join the conversation about this CHP SSP Mustang for sale right here in The Mustang Source.

The sweetest of SSP sweet spots (sans stories)

You would be hard-pressed to find a better exemplar of the 5.0-era SSP Mustang, and given the fact that it is a fully-documented, factory-built, in-service-used—but still low-mile and no-damage—real-deal CHP car makes it remarkable. That it has been fully restored to its “Day Two” configuration, with all the graphics and gear it was equipped with in-period, and it’s all in excellent running order, means it surely justifies its catalog description as “one of the nicest In-Service SSP CHP Mustangs available.” I haven’t seen this car from the vantage point of it screaming in with lights blazing in my rearview mirror, but if the feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when just looking at it is anything to go by, this car is 100 percent authentic…

>>Join the conversation about this CHP SSP Mustang for sale right here in The Mustang Source.

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