1982 SSP find
 

Made it home this morning with a very unusual 1982 SSP. I recently sold my '82 CHP to another member here, and really wasn't in the market for another '82, but couldn't really help but to investigate this one further.

It's an '82, but NOT a CHP car. DSO 26 (New Orleans), order number 0200. Black interior, leather wrapped steering wheel, and a full console. Some of those things, as we've been told, weren't available on SSPs.

I ran a Marti report on the car before making the trip. It did NOT list the Special Service package on it as an option, but did list that it was a 6-digit DSO special order. However, I still had a gut feeling that the car WAS (is) a package car, due to the information I was receiving from the seller. She purchased the car in '83, from a Ford dealership, and she was told that the car was a "police package" when she bought it (16,000 miles on it at the time). While not advertised as an SSP, the car had the '82-only Certified Speedo and remote decklid release visible in the listing, which is why I asked her. She bought the car for her daughter, and later swapped out the steel wheels it came with for the aluminum wheels in the photos. Luckily, she kept the originals in the garage, and she gave them to me when I picked up the car. The full size spare on the correct rim was also still in the trunk.

So I made the trip knowing it had a 6-digit DSO, certified speedo, remote decklid release, and wheels, but not much else. However, shortly after getting it loaded on the trailer, I found the build sheet. It was still taped up behind the drivers side rear interior panel, and it definitively identifies the car as an SSP.

Much more research left to do. I plan on requesting an Eminger invoice from Marti and also upgrading the standard report I ran to see if there is any other info available. There are marks under the center of the decklid where an antenna was attached, and it could very well be a car that Ford demo'd to various departments. Production date was in July, and it was sold with 16,000 on it in Sep 1983.

Interesting wording on the build sheet as well. I've never seen one like it.

Pic

Another

One more

Congrats thats so amazing!!!!!! I wish I woulda jumped on it!!! Cant wait to find out more info

This car's VIN is in a group of two consecutive and is the fourth-to-last P10F made in 1982.

Congrats Mike! I guess you won't be using this one as a knock-around fun car, huh? We will need to revise some of our SSP tech info now that you found this non-CHP 82 SSP. ;)

Mike can you post a high resolution file of the whole buid sheet?

Not knocking around too much, Bill. :)

I will scan it, Mick. Want me to email it to you?

Yeah that'd be great. Can you do the same for all others you have? Thanks.

wow.....build sheet, AND the original spare steelie in the trunk.....

brother you are livin right !!!!

Very very cool car and I bet Trooper Pruett is smiling about now......

Mick,

The others are posted in the tech section here (hi-res). I do have one for my 85 GT that I didn't mention in the original post (I forgot). I will scan it and send it also.

Jim,

Could be the same car....sure wish he was still around. He was a super nice guy. The original Streamlight that he had mounted in his '83 DPS will be in my '83 one day. He gave it to me along with a box of lots of other goodies for my car.

HUGE CONGRATS Mike!!!
This is an amazing find for sure...:2thumbs: more pic plz...

Thanks, Bobby.

I thought I put more than I did. Here is an interior shot. Car has cruise, tilt, interval wipers, AC, power locks.

Underhood. It has 115k original miles. Needs to be cleaned up.

Very cool car! Same seat upholstery as my 1980 Turbo hatch (first new car). Looking forward to hearing about the history of this one. Congrats on the find!

Big Congrats and props for saving this one Mike! I can't believe this car was still floating around without mods for so long. Can you imagine if "Ricky racer" got a hold of her instead of you? Again a BIG Congrats!

:yes:

Thanks guys. The original owners were good stewards for this one. Swapped out the wheels, but kept the originals. Only other mods I can find are aftermarket stereo (and speakers) and replacement muffler/tailpipe. Gotta give them credit for keeping it around for 32+ years in the shape it's in.

Radio code "4" (door tag) and "S" (build sheet) is AM/FM stereo, if you want to hunt one down to put it back in place. ;)

Thanks, Mick. The original radio bezel is still in the glovebox and the radio knobs are in the center console. No such luck for the radio itself, though.

Simply amazing. Just when you think you have a grasp on how this whole thing started, a wrinkle shows up.

And for it to be in such great shape too?? What a great find Mike! :cool:

I thought the same. I would bet that it was.

I can imagine that Ford was very excited when CHP ordered over 400 of these cars. It is very plausible they built a couple of real SSP package cars to let other agencies test.

To have found a 1982 SSP packaged car that was not a CHP car is definitely a first for the hobby. I hope that when that Deluxe Marti report hits your email it has a Texas dealer delivery on it and a designation for TXDPS.

Build sheets are so.......definitive......eh? I agree with Mick that the consecutive vin is probably another test car as well.
Is there a buck tag on the car?

The car is really in fabulous shape also. Not like some of the rusted out, beat to hell 82's floating around for sale. I have been looking for an early 80's car for a parts car but most all of them are rotted. this SSP car is a GREAT find.

I'm with you on the package test car theory. It makes zero sense that one or two cars were shipped over all the country and tested by various agencies.

Not sure on the 26 DSO, but definitely closer to TX than 72 DSO. I plan on upgrading the basic report I ran and I will put another call into Kevin Marti on it, and the Eminger invoice also.

There is a buck tag. Doesn't concern me too much that there's only one, my CSP car is the same way (and is also non-special paint).

It's in pretty good shape. My old '82 is cleaner than this, though. CA was definitely a better climate than MO.

Still has the '82 date-coded plug wires:

Something I hadn't noticed before I just emailed Mike with the build sheet decode...TYPE OF ORDER code "M" means "Marketing Vehicle".

Nice, didn't know that! Thanks, Mick.

NICE !!!

Has there been any other build sheets posted with the "M" code? This type of documentation is crucial to authenticate this type of car. Love it.

Congrats and glad this one has stayed alive in good hands and remains there today! Just when we thought we knew everything SSP...:cool:

I have not seen any other "M" code order types in 1982. All of the 1982 CHP build sheets that I have seen so far have a code "5" (Fleet) for order type.

I'll have to look later to see if I have build sheets from any other year with a code M order type.

Fantastic find! Repainted or original? Pics with the steelies back on please!

I guess "1" is a retail order then?

My others all (SSP) have the 5. Good stuff.

Thanks Brad, Mike, and Jonathon.

Car was repainted once years ago. It will be a bit before I get the steel wheels back on (blast and paint before I remount tires).

Yes, 1 is retail.

The two most common for non-SSP are retail order (1) and dealer stock (2).
The most common for SSP is fleet (5).

Great info, Mick. Thanks for all of your help.

This is an amazing find! Congrats Mike! I'm looking forward to following and see what your research turns up.

I took a stab at updating the SSP History page -

http://www.specialservicemustang.net/History.html


Only the first paragraph was modified...

Very cool find/save. What a neat car with such great history.