The Fastest Highway Patrol Car in Alabama

M

Mscb1100_imp

Been there
Thread starter
This morning my wife went with me to a car show just a few miles from Barber Motorsports park. They had 100's of cars, trucks, rat rods, motorcycles, police paddy wagons and command center vehicles. By far the one that was the most interesting to me was a 1972 American Motors Javelin SST police car. Per the spec board in front of the car it was capable of 161 mph. There are only 2 known to exist today.

Unless you're in Dubai or some other middle eastern country that uses Lamborghinis as police vehicles I'm not sure any other country including the US has a manufacturers police car that will go as fast as this one.
 
The 390 Javelins were awesome, but the police models were 401 = awesome +. In the late seventies, responding to sheriff needs assistance in a remote corner of the county, I had a mid seventies 401 AMC Matador to 135 and rapidly climbing.

Not an attractive vehicle, but massive sway bars = amazing cornering.

On a narrow, 2 lane winding road, leaving the valley, I attempted a traffic stop on a CB750 for 2x speed limit in the city. When the rider failed to yield, I passed him, then we both switched directions. The pursuit was halted for safety considerations.

I never cited a motorcyclist, but was obliged to arrest one after a 120 MPH pursuit.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
 
Thread starter
GoldOxide_imp said:
Serious stuff.

No pursuits halted due to lack of gasoline?
Click to expand...
This was Alabama in the early 70's, so I'm comfortable assuming there would have been at least 2 @ 1 gallon each containers of a local home made beverage known as White Lightning that somehow forgot to be entered into the evidence locker.

Pouring some of that into the gas tank if you ran out of gas would probably nudge that top speed to 170
 
GoldOxide_imp said:
Serious stuff.

No pursuits halted due to lack of gasoline?
Click to expand...
LOL! A fill-up at the beginning of the shift was more than adequate!
 
Mscb1100_imp said:
This morning my wife went with me to a car show just a few miles from Barber Motorsports park. They had 100's of cars, trucks, rat rods, motorcycles, police paddy wagons and command center vehicles. By far the one that was the most interesting to me was a 1972 American Motors Javelin SST police car. Per the spec board in front of the car it was capable of 161 mph. There are only 2 known to exist today.

Unless you're in Dubai or some other middle eastern country that uses Lamborghinis as police vehicles I'm not sure any other country including the US has a manufacturers police car that will go as fast as this one.
Click to expand...
The really fast police cars here are just for show, high speed chases are not allowed, nor necessary as practically every square inch is under surveillance.



'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed
 
Although this video is obviously staged for instructional purposes, it shows the possible extent of surveillance in the UAE:

 
SportsterDoc_imp said:
Although this video is obviously staged for instructional purposes, it shows the possible extent of surveillance in the UAE:

Click to expand...
It's not exaggerated. The biggest problem they face in surveillance is lack of manpower I think, there is just not enough policemen to monitor all the cameras

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed
 
The extent of the surveillance is extraordinary. I loved the video and the idea of going the whole James Bond on someone for speeding.
 
Thread starter
tod.branko_imp said:
SportsterDoc_imp said:
Although this video is obviously staged for instructional purposes, it shows the possible extent of surveillance in the UAE:

Click to expand...
It's not exaggerated. The biggest problem they face in surveillance is lack of manpower I think, there is just not enough policemen to monitor all the cameras

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed
Click to expand...
It's not exaggerated. The biggest problem they face in surveillance is lack of manpower I think, there is just not enough policemen to monitor all the cameras

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed
Someone on their force should join the forum and check our members online time stats, some of us have a lot free time lol
 
Cormanus_imp said:
The extent of the surveillance is extraordinary. I loved the video and the idea of going the whole James Bond on someone for speeding.
Click to expand...
Especially the end where multiple officers had their assault rifles trained on him as they filed out in a tactical advance formation from behind the blockade… for speeding.
 
I still remember the 5.0 Fox Body Mustang coupes the CHP used up through the early 90s. I had a black Fox with the same 10-hole "phone dial" whees, and when I'd catch a glimpse of my own car walking up to it, it would send a quick "fight or flight" jolt through me. Even though it was my own car...
 
Gone in 60_imp said:
I still remember the 5.0 Fox Body Mustang coupes the CHP used up through the early 90s. I had a black Fox with the same 10-hole "phone dial" whees, and when I'd catch a glimpse of my own car walking up to it, it would send a quick "fight or flight" jolt through me. Even though it was my own car...
Click to expand...
Hehe. Utah Highway Patrol used them here as well. I remember hearing about them crashing in Parleys Canyon every so often. If there was any snow on the road they would spin out pretty easily. Also I think the officers just loved driving them fast, but who knows. They stopped using them after only about 10 years. They were pretty badazz looking though.
 
There are many countries with modern cop cars that will reach speeds well above that old thing.

And I'd bet a paycheck that old thing couldn't hit a true 161mph on a GPS no matter how long and straight the road.

It takes large % power gains at speed just for a few MPH- the fast you claim, the greater the rate of power increase.

The vast majority of people you hear say they had an old car that would do 1xx are full of it. Indicated on a speedo is NOT reality.

Just like guessing power made- there is no real answer other than a dyno or GPS for speed. Both are notorious heartbreakers- and many avoid them as they don't want to know the truth! :)
 
That is true, but, when the 5.0 Fox was in its prime in the late 80s-early 90s, 225 horsepower in a lightweight body was quite formidable. The CHP cars were in LX trim, and were devoid of any of the aero mods and frippery of the GT models, and legend had it that when they hit 120, the front ends became light enough that control become very difficult. I never pushed mine that hard on the street, of course.

These days, a 5.0 Mustang makes 480 horsepower, a GT500 makes 760, both from the factory. Plus, they can handle and stop a lot better than the disk/drum solid-axle Fox Flintstone chassis.
 
1. Police vehicles have calibrated speedos. Date of calibration may be asked in court. Speed could also be compared with radar display...fond memories of hitting the shotgun barrel with a tuning fork to check radar calibration at the beginning of a shift. The Matador that I drove was unmarked (only red spot and siren) and not radar equipped.

2. This article states 140 MPH for a 69 Plymouth 383 and gives accolades to the AMC Matador (401): https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/lapds-finest

3. Most police vehicles in my department (1977-1993) were capable of just over 122 MPH, excluding off-road enforcement.

4. Chevy Novas (late seventies/early eighties) had good speed and cornered OK, but suspension for driving over curbs was limited. A Nova on one pursuit (armed robbery) went air-born over railroad tracks and took the vehicle out of commission, although the robber lost a subsequent foot pursuit

5. Many military police vehicles of the sixties were less than peppy...many were straight sixes.

6. Be interesting to research the LAPD freeway flyer Oldsmobiles of the sixties...

Another trip down memory lane!
 
Mechanical speedo calibration is not ‘calibrated’ across is entire range. It is physically impossible. The faster they go- which by default is not where they are calibrated to- the more inaccurate they became.

And for same of argument- a car that could do a legit 140mph (gps) would require a lot more power to hit 150- and a car that could hit a real 160 requires more power from 150-160 than the car that went 140-150.

I’ve chased power and speed out of cars my whole life- decades of hot rodding. Have travelled across country many times just to race down airport runways as the drag strips aren’t long enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Speedo error is a percentage.
From new to old tires may increase speed display by ~4% on a car tire...more on SUV/truck, depending on OD and tread depth.
So, if speedo accurate/calibrated with new tires and the circumference is reduced by 4%
30 would increase to 31.2
60 would increase to 62.4
90 would increase to 93.6
120 would increase to 124.8

Same with changing tire sizes or even different brand of same size. I replaced a stock tire (Metzler?) on my 2012 Bonneville with a Shinko of the same size and it would barely turn when on the center stand, resulting in higher speed than previously indicated.

Yes, you may argue other factors, such as tire pressure lower or higher than door sticker, variance in temperature, etc. But, the bottom line is that 4% error will have approximately twice the MPH difference at 120 versus 60.

So, checking speed with GPS or Radar at a few speeds can indicate % error.
If not practical to calibrate, just apply that % to indicated speed.
 
That was a long way of responding the same conclusion I already said the faster you go the more inaccurate they are.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
NO vehicle speedo is accurately calibrated... and intentionally always shows speed higher than travelled.
The faster the vehicle goes, the bigger/higher the error.
This slight difference in accuracy is done on purpose to avoid lawsuit against vehicle manufacturers.
There are other aspects as well such as different tire size and wear of the nominal tire during operation, simple physics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top