SMPV Mustangs?

[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.

[litsnsirn]

Mike, that first Diplomat picture is a federal 55 mph car and not an SMPV, right?
Would the white one be a SMPV that was repurposed or a car from another agency that was dissolved into the CHP? It appears to have regular spotlights and a regular pushbumper.

When I went to the Ripon show a few years back somewhere between SJO and Ripon I remember having seeing an all white CVPI CHP car, are those still called SMPV's?

[mac88chp]

Originally Posted by litsnsirn

Mike, that first Diplomat picture is a federal 55 mph car and not an SMPV, right?
Would the white one be a SMPV that was repurposed or a car from another agency that was dissolved into the CHP? It appears to have regular spotlights and a regular pushbumper.

When I went to the Ripon show a few years back somewhere between SJO and Ripon I remember having seeing an all white CVPI CHP car, are those still called SMPV's?

While not part of the original SMPV program, I've heard of those Federal 55 cars being referred to as such just because they weren't traditionally marked vehicles. Yeah, the white Diplomat definitely looks to be a repurposed car, most likely it was from an SMPV.

I don't hear the term SMPV much anymore from the Chippies. There are still white commerical enforcement units and those typically have pushbars and CB antennas. The new category of white cars lack both of those, sport chrome 5" spots and are referred to as "PCF" units. That stands for Primary Collision Factors, which are defined as speeding, tailgating and unsafe lane changing and according to the CHP are among the leading causes of accidents. These stealth units are supposed to concentrate on these types of enforcement , which I suppose is how they got authorized to use them. But the stealth helps for all types I guess, huh?

SMPV (commercial enforcement) unit, slightly wrecked:


PCF unit, about as stealthy as you can get with a Vic:

[litsnsirn]

The one that I remember seeing was like the one on the top, it had a white pushbumper on it.

[Va 5.0]

Here are a few more SMPV articles:


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

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-..._1_speedy-cars


http://articles.latimes.com/1987-07-...highway-patrol

[Va 5.0]

Pilot program SMPV Equipment:

[28HopUp]

So COOL!!!!!

[28HopUp]

Attached is a cropped pic (done by my scanner) of a picture I purchased recently from Darryl Lindsey (hope I got his name spelled correctly). It sure is a great photo from the original program. Only one Mustang was painted silver, so that is E408445 on the left. No other license plate numbers are visible.

[Mustang Kid]

Cool stuff!!

[28HopUp]

Ken, aka E435300_SMPV, sent me photos of the issue of The California Highway Patrolman he recently won on eBay that shows the two SMPV Mustangs on the cover -






Interesting stuff! By 1989, the SMPVs were a permanent program with the CHP. "Eagle-Eye" Ken also found the following picture in this issue showing a four-eyed CHP Mustang in the background -