SMPV Mustangs?

[stadair]

How are you going to paint it? B&W? Another color?

[28HopUp]

Originally Posted by stadair

How are you going to paint it? B&W? Another color?

I don't want to restore it to in-service condition. Now that I know it's not a SMPV, I can paint it any stinkin' color I want!

Seriously, I would probably go with black or another shade of gray. My wife isn't 100% happy with me bringing home another project, so the smart money is on me picking a color that she likes!

[stadair]

Originally Posted by 28HopUp

I don't want to restore it to in-service condition. Now that I know it's not a SMPV, I can paint it any stinkin' color I want!

Seriously, I would probably go with black or another shade of gray. My wife isn't 100% happy with me bringing home another project, so the smart money is on me picking a color that she likes!

That's right! Keep the Mrs. happy!

[Va 5.0]

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-12-...highway-patrol

It looks like there were as few as 15 total cars, I wonder how many were Mustangs.
Used on Interstate 5 San Joaquin Valley and I-5 and I-10 in Los Angeles and San Bernardino area beginning Jan 12,1987.


From Feb 1986:

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-02-...mmercial-truck

A bill now before the Legislature would allow the California Highway Patrol to use unmarked patrol cars for officers to detect safety violations by commercial truck rigs, an enforcement move unprecedented in the agency's 60-year history. At present, the CHP uses unmarked units in auto theft and some undercover investigations. But a bill introduced by Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim) would authorize the use of unmarked cars to nab heavy commercial truck speeders, weight violators and other commercial truckers who are not driving safely. Elmer Brown, the head of government relations for the California Trucking Assn., the trucking industry's statewide lobbying arm, said the industry supports the Seymour bill as a way of getting irresponsible, "'cowboy" truckers, who are dangerous to motorists, off the road.

Both articles from the LA Times.....

[28HopUp]

Thanks for sharing that with everyone, Jack!

[03cobra]

I dont have a CHP SSP , but that was very intresting about the SMPV SSPs. Thanks for all the posts! I just got seriously schooled and enjoyed it! Very cool.

[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

[mac88chp]

Thanks very much for posting up all those articles. There's a good bit of more background on the early SMPVs in there but still we don't have any firm count on how many total Mustangs were part of the '87 pilot deployment or the following one in '89. Getting closer though.

[Va 5.0]

Another good one from 1987:

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-...highway-patrol

From the article SMPV'S were : a mixture of Chevrolet Celebrities, Ford Mustangs and Dodge Diplomats.

The side-mounted spotlights remain, but they are smaller, painted the same color as the car and from a distance appear to be rear-view mirrors. The shotgun is mounted out of sight between the rear seats.

I wonder if these articles had pictures?




credit to LA Times

[mac88chp]

I wondered the same thing about photos. They forgot to mention that Crown Vics were also used in the pilot program. Here is one appears staged that I bet was used somewhere in the press:



A better shot of one of the Vics:



The article didn't mention the use of chrome pushbars (Buddy Bumper brand) or even the last little touch of stealth - dealer plate rims!

These are the only SMPV Diplomats I've ever seen:




If they made any in the multi-hue paint scheme, I'd love to see a photo.