SMPV Mustangs?

[28HopUp]

Thanks for the info guys. The SMPV acronym sure makes sense now. Any idea how many of the 155 1985 CHP's were repainted into SMPV's? Makes me want to find an inconspicuous spot on the body and sand though the paint to see if it's black or another color. I guess documenting an SSP as a SMPV would be next to impossible.

[WSP-SSP]

washington state patrol ran a similar program, commercial enforcement vehicles, which they still use today. The numbers of non marked mustangs were stageringly low compared to CHP

[mac88chp]

As the old saying goes, "What we don't know about (SMPV Mustangs) could fill a book!" Not much documentation has surfaced so far about these unique CHP units. There were SMPV versions of both Mustangs and regular sedans which debuted on the roads in the later '80s. The first batch of Mustangs were '85s and besides the unique paint jobs, they also featured many custom touches:

* smaller, body color 5" spots
* low profile deck lighting
* custom, lay down shotgun rack
* single Sti-Co undercover antenna

A second batch was produced using '89 models and they were similarily painted and equipped as the '85s with the exception that the outside spots were deleted and replaced with a single red halogen mirror light (first install in a Mustang) and a hand-held mag-mount clear spot that was kept inside the car.



No production numbers are available but it's generally thought that perhaps as few as 25-50 total early SMPV Mustang units were built. Paint colors mentioned as used or observed for both the '85s and the '89s include blue, maroon, silver, gold (or copper) and white.

In the early '90s, it was decided to standardize all future SMPVs with all-white paint and to equip them with pretty much all of the standard items found on the B&W cars. This included the full size, black spots and the regular shotgun rack, deck lighting and antenna. No production numbers are available for the '90s SMPVs either.



Note: one custom touch on the above '93 is that the beltline moldings have been painted black.

As mentioned, all the Mustangs started out as B&W units and were repainted after they were received from Ford. So far, not one confirmed survivor of any year has been located by anyone in the hobby.

[28HopUp]

Wow Mike - thanks for the detailed response.

Originally Posted by mac88chp

So far, not one confirmed survivor of any year has been located by anyone in the hobby.

Hypothetically speaking, how would one go about trying to confirm if their 85 CHP was one of the units made into a SMPV? The reason I ask is because I found something out about my car. Some time after it was marked as a black and white, the body (but not the doors) was painted silver. A subsequent paint job made the entire car (including door jams) dark "Toyota" gray.

This morning, in the doorjam, I used a pocket knife to pull off a small area of the top coat of paint. Although the revealed color was black, the underside of the dark gray paint chip I had stuck on the knife was SILVER! Also, the plastic push button door striker is painted silver, having not been masked off when painted silver (but covered up when the dark gray paint was applied). I also found a paint chip in the rocker panel, which revealed silver paint. However, the silver was not found on the doors under the gray paint.

So now you've got me thinking about this car in a whole new way. If it is indeed a SMPV, then how do I proceed with it? How can I verify its authenticity? I was only planning to rebuild it as an unmarked daily driver, but that may not be the best plan of action for this car. Frankly, I hadn't had any desire to own a marked SSP, but this car MAY be a SMPV. If it is, then it deserves to be restored. If so, then am I the one to do it, or would I be better selling/swapping the car with another SSP enthusiast who would restore the car properly.

I'm kinda at a loss at this point. Any advice?

[mac88chp]

Bill - did you check both doors and the roof for the paint layer composition? I'd also take a close look at the interior for any unusual equipment mounting holes, esp. around the transmission tunnel area as that is where the lay-down shotgun rack was installed. That means removing most of the interior to do it right and hopefully that's in your plans anyway.

What you found so far is intriguing but not really conclusive of an SMPV pedigree. That can really only be verified by either CHP documents or in-service photographs and the CHP has told us that records for vehicles this old have been disposed of and very few in-service photos of SMPVs exist. It is still possible that a photo of your car may surface in the future but in the absence of the above type of proof, your car is probably not worth any more than a normal '85 CHP to a hobbyist.

As to how to proceed, I'd personally hold off on making any firm restoration plans until you have a chance to poke around the car for more clues. In the meanwhile, I'll try yet again to drum up photos of any SMPV Mustangs.

[28HopUp]

Mike -

No, I have not checked the roof for silver paint or both doors for the absence of silver paint. I did find silver paint on the inside of the gas door, under the gray paint. It would be GREAT if somebody uncovered a picture of an SMPV with the tag E408395, but I won't be holding my breath.

I'm not really sure how I want to proceed with my SSP now. I really do not want to own a marked police car, yet I don't want to destroy the car's value if it was a SMPV. I guess I could repaint the car silver, and if another owner wanted to they could paint the doors white and add the star/lettering to the door. Too bad it wasn't painted another color, cuz silver is boring IMO. But repainting the car would erase the best evidence that I have right now as to the car possibly being a SMPV - the layered paint.

I really enjoy driving the thing, as it has alot of character as it sits. But it needs to be repainted and fixed up. A full-blown in-service restoration is NOT what I am looking to do, cuz the way I'd do it, I'd have the black & white paint scheme applied first, and then repaint it silver to replicate the layered paint. That kind of paint job would cost more than I paid for the car. I don't know. This isn't why I bought the car. I just wanted something fun to knock around in.

[chp1982]

I have never seen those pictures before. The copper and white one looks so good.

[28HopUp]

Well, having slept on it and giving my situationsome more thought, I'm inclined to do NOTHING!

Well, sort of. Without verifying documentation, the best proof I have to the car being a SMPV is the layered paint, so repainting the car now would be foolish IMO. Although the current paint job could best be described as a "20-footer", repainting the car now would be a mistake. I MAY decide later to repaint it (and take pics as the paint comes off) in SMPV colors (matching the silver & white underneath). Or I could paint the entire car in that matching silver, and let another owner worry about repainting the doors white if they so choose.

But without having documentation, and the fact that the car is not exactly 100% stock, I figure I can still address other aesthetic needs of the car to make it more enjoyable (i.e. interior and weatherstripping).

I wonder if the CHP has an FOP Lodge (or similar organization)? My thinking would be to contact their Lodge and see about placing an ad in their newsletter to solicit info from officers who used SSP's in their duties. Has anybody tried that before?

[FHP813]

*DISCLAIMER* The following is my opinion and is not intended to bash anyone, their cars or what they plan to do to said cars!!

If indeed this car was a SMPV would it be worth more than a "regular" CHP? If the car was special ordered for the CHP in the different color then yes, but if I understand correctly these cars were CHP cars that were painted and some equipment added\changed. I say enjoy it as you would any ssp and don't let the perception of it being something stop you from that. My .02

[Va 5.0]

A couple more:


1990 article:
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-03-...394_1_chp-cars

1990 Article:
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-11-...highway-patrol


Both from LA Times