FOR a fast-car nut, there are few issues that seize the eye faster than a mirror-full of crimson and blue lights: cherries and berries; whirligigs. You’re being lit up, wheeled, pulled over.
This text was first printed in Road Machine’s 2020 Yearbook. Images: Ellen Dewar & SM Archives
For many years, every time your gaze darted from the street forward to this scene in your rearview mirror, these fast-approaching police lights have greater than seemingly belonged to the acquainted, domestically made Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore. However quickly they are going to be no extra.
With the final Aussie Ford Falcons made in 2016 and the ultimate batch of Holden Commodores rolling off the road the next 12 months, the ranks of our mighty home-grown police vehicles are scaling down. Retirement beckons the final of those Aussie-made lords of the bitumen.
Often Ford or Holden and often V8 (however with a number of different manufacturers and a few quick fours and scorching sixes sprinkled into the combo, too), these special-build police vehicles – identified colloquially as chasers, interceptors or pursuit specials – have change into a part of the collective Australian psyche: revered and reviled, loathed and beloved, thumbs-upped and middle-fingered in roughly equal measure.
The shit-stare wants little in the way in which of clarification: Few of us wish to be pulled over and sternly advised we’ve carried out the mistaken factor earlier than having our wallets lightened by the equal of every week’s wages or extra. Nope, having the smile wiped out of your face with a ‘tinny’ (Site visitors Infringement Discover) is rarely a lot enjoyable. However on the flipside, for many years, premium-performance ex-highway patrol autos have given 1000’s of us a leg-up right into a late-model scorching six or V8 for a discount worth.
The truth is, the Aussie Ford and Holden police chasers have generally shared DNA with the producers’ high-performance showroom vehicles. Regardless of the aura of our batch-built, ‘one among 500’-type Aussie race specials, the necessity to survive the rigours of police use fairly than the will for motorsport success was typically the motivation behind the event of among the higher-performance elements beneath our Commodores and Falcons. These ‘turn-and-burns’ that prowling freeway patrol vehicles carry out – pinging vehicles travelling in the wrong way, braking closely from the velocity restrict, performing a U-turn, chasing at excessive velocity, braking to a cease after which idling for a number of minutes whereas somebody will get written a ticket – are robust on vehicles. That’s why, over time, {hardware} akin to baffled sumps, upgraded brakes, lowered and stiffened suspensions and additional engine and transmission cooling capability have all been built-in into many manufacturing facility Holden and Ford vehicles constructed for police use.
Though Commodore and Falcon each have staunch histories of high-performance police-use autos, different Aussie-made vehicles have served our cops, too. Because the Sixties, vehicles as numerous as Minis, Toranas, Valiants and even Nissan Skylines have been used for numerous state police departments’ Particular Site visitors Patrol, Site visitors Department or Freeway Patrol duties on Aussie roads.
From the primary Aussie Falcon, the XK, within the early Sixties, Ford Australia appeared to work tougher than Holden at constructing vehicles to make the coppers joyful. Legend has it that the 1967 XR Falcon GT was a spin-off from Ford’s persevering with efforts to service police fleets by offering Falcons (first with sixes and later V8s) with a bit extra pep than commonplace.
Two- and four-door cop-spec Falcon V8s have been obtainable for the next 15 years, till 1982, when the worldwide gas disaster noticed Ford kill its Aussie-made V8s, ending an period of authorized police brutality on our streets: the 5.8-litre V8 Falcon cop automotive. With at this time’s 200kW mummy-mobiles, the on-paper 149kW from the final of those Falcs – the sleeper-spec XE Falcon GL – could seem a bit of weak now, however these cop-spec vehicles have been an efficient, and therefore revered, instrument of commerce.
Holden rapidly stuffed the hole left by Ford with its Commodore Police Pursuit Car (sure, it actually was named that), which arrived in the course of the VH manufacturing run. In-built each six-cylinder and V8 guises, the top of efficiency for these police-spec vehicles was the high-output guide V8: Holden introduced it had ‘Brock’ heads and manifold, a lightened flywheel and a swathe of different suspension, braking and inside tweaks for safer, sharper police use.
However Holden, too, was quickly to kill its V8. That info slipped out in the course of the launch of the VK Commodore in 1984, prompting the Road Machine-led ‘V8s ’til ’98’ petition. Nonetheless, Holden had an alternate for our Aussie cops: The staunch Nissan-made RB30ET 3.0-litre fuel-injected turbo six arrived within the VL Commodore in mid-1986. The Commodore Government sedan constructed with what was christened the BT1/Nationwide Police Pack and fitted with the elective turbo motor created a chaser that’s, to today, remembered with smiles by some serving senior – and naturally many retired – cops.
Quickly thereafter, the V8s returned to police duties, with each Holden and Ford launching fuel-injected 5.0-litre V8s. For a lot of the Nineties, Holden appeared to retain the higher hand for police use; after the V8 was launched within the VN Commodore, Holden launched unbiased rear suspension on VP sedans. This and different fleet-only tools fitments from VP to VT gave police bosses the power to specify an Government V8 with SS-spec suspension and seats to create a no-nonsense freeway patrol automotive with all of the zing and never a lot bling.
Ford appeared to claw again among the chaser market within the late Nineties, with the Tickford-tweaked EL Falcon XR8 (particularly the later 185kW variations with a extra tied-down rear suspension) and the brand new AU Falcon discovering wider acceptance for freeway patrol use throughout the nation.
In the course of the noughties, by means of the BA-BF and FG Falcons and the VT-VZ and VE Commodores, you’d appear to see simply as many of 1 as the opposite, with the scorching DOHC 4.0-litre Barra turbo beneath the bonnet of the Fords and the 5.7-litre (and later 6.0-litre V8s) within the Holdens.
Which brings us to the final Australian police vehicles: the Ford Falcon FG-X and the Holden Commodore VF II.
The Ford pictured right here is an unmarked XR6 normal duties automotive, corralled for us by the nice folks at ACT Policing. However for many of the previous 20 years, the top of Ford’s police pursuit efficiency has been the XR6 Turbo. In ultimate FG-X kind, that meant 270kW/5250rpm and, for a lot of vehicles constructed for police use, larger FPV-spec entrance brakes.
The Commodore you see right here is among the final of the Australian Federal Police/ACT Site visitors Operations’ Aussie chasers. These are additional particular in that they weren’t constructed by Holden as Nationwide Police Pack (possibility 9C1) vehicles; they’re normal-spec SS-V Redlines full with Brembo brakes and guide gearboxes, with suspension upgrades fitted by ACT Policing’s Site visitors Operations to raised swimsuit their wants.
With the final cop vehicles from Holden and Ford being the quickest, most secure, strongest and most succesful examples of the breed, the heritage of our Aussie chaser is ending on a excessive. Even with the numerous world-class autos to select from as replacements, in keeping with many officers, our home-grown interceptors have proved to be a tough act to observe.
It’s unhappy to know they’re nearly gone; actually, in some areas the final Australian police vehicles have already been changed.
Aussie highways won’t ever be the identical.
BIG due to the crew at AFP/ACT Site visitors Operations/Highway Policing for his or her sensational help with this text.
COP IT SWEET
WE SPOKE to a NSW Freeway Patrol officer concerning the final Aussie ‘pursuit specials’:
“I’ve at all times been fascinated by freeway patrol policing due to my curiosity in vehicles. I’ve pushed an XR6 Turbo at work, however solely as soon as – it was on the finish of its run; it was decommissioned quickly after.
“However at work, nobody actually had a nasty factor to say about these vehicles. They’ve their variations: The Commodore is usually thought to be dealing with a bit of higher, however the turbo Falcon FG and FG-X accelerated a bit tougher. Then the VF Collection II, with that 6.2-litre LS3, would catch up within the high finish. They’re each very well-respected.
“The Holden and the Ford have been good freeway patrol vehicles. The brand new vehicles [BMW 530d and Chrysler 300 chosen for NSW Highway Patrol] – I can’t actually criticise them, however it’s simply not going to be the identical.”
One of many Canberra crew had this to say:
“We anticipate and demand so much from our vehicles in a normal sense. I wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re abused; our coaching teaches us the significance of car sympathy and day by day upkeep. We do pressure our Redlines on the street, however they appear resilient in the way in which they survive our work routines with out letting us down.
“We have been extremely spoiled with the Holden VF IIs; they’re simply such a superb companion: they brake, deal with and go exhausting with none of the problems the earlier fashions appeared to endure. I feel the vast majority of pursuit drivers listed here are keen on the way in which these vehicles sound too. You simply can’t discover a higher word than the deep-breathing bimodal LS3 in our Redlines at full noise, particularly compared to all of the European replacements.
“It’s considerably unhappy to assume that these are the final years we’ll hear the roar of eight-cylinder Australian-made pursuit vehicles on our roads.”
THE AUSSIE COP CAR HONOURS ROLL:
HOLDEN VH COMMODORE
HOLDEN’S Police Pursuit Car pack was obtainable with a higher-output V8, with some elements shared with the high-performance HDT/Brock street vehicles. After their cop careers, artful caryard coves stretched the reality by promoting these as ‘Brock specials’.
VALIANT CHARGER
DURING the mid-Nineteen Seventies, the Valiant Charger (above) donned lights and sirens for freeway patrol duties, significantly in NSW. Vehicles with the K10 possibility code scored E49 internals, high-performance suspension bundle, improved brakes, Certain-Grip LSD and extra.
FORD XY FALCON
FORD’S first XR Falcon GT was impressed by and primarily based on a police-pack V8 Falcon Deluxe. However the second-gen Falcon’s pinnacle of police efficiency was this (under): an XY Falcon 500 wrapped round an XY GT’s hi-po 5.8L driveline.
FORD XK FALCON ‘PURSUIT’
FORD Australia launched its US-designed, domestically made Falcon in September 1960. Inside a 12 months or two, Ford was producing particular variations for Victorian Police, changing the Falcon’s commonplace 144ci six with a souped-up model of the elective 170ci mill. Named Pursuit by Ford, the cop model featured a special carby that liberated an additional 15hp (from 101 to 116hp). Was this Australia’s first correct pursuit particular?
FORD XB FALCON 500
THIS mint XB (above) belongs to the Australian Federal Police Museum. Often known as the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes, these police XBs packed a 351/four-speed driveline, with upgraded suspension and brakes. Within the glovebox was a second speedo, calibrated to 220km/h.
HOLDEN TORANA
HOLDEN’S Torana wasn’t only a winner at Bathurst within the fingers of Peter Brock or a helpful instrument for Colin Bond’s rallying. From round 1970, Holden Torana GTRs have been used as cop vehicles, too, with some carrying the XU-1-spec triple-carb motor.
HOLDEN VN COMMODORE V8
LAUNCHED in 1989, Holden’s new multi-point fuel-injected V8 swung punches that landed exhausting – 165kW at 5200rpm gave the cops loads of go. Largely unchanged, that engine served our coppers for a decade by means of the VP, VR, VS and VT collection.
NISSAN SKYLINE
NISSAN’S Particular Autos Division-built Skyline GTS (proper) was the selection for Apple Isle visitors/freeway work, with Tasmania Police apparently ordering two batches of a half-dozen vehicles every: GTS1 in 1988 and GTS2 in 1990 (pic courtesy of the Tasmania Police Historical past Museum).
HOLDEN VL COMMODORE EXECUTIVE TURBO
THE VL’s Garrett-boosted, 150kW, Nissan-built 3.0L turbo RB30ET was supplied on all fashions, permitting police to order bare-bones vehicles that, in unmarked guise (with out roof-mounted lights), may reportedly slip by means of the breeze past 210km/h
HOLDEN VF II COMMODORE SS
THE final Aussie cop automotive (reverse web page). Holden continued constructing police-spec vehicles nearly till the tip of manufacturing in 2017. The 6.2L LS3 V8 within the VF II SS utilized by most states’ freeway patrol delivered 304kW/570Nm.
CHEVROLET CAPRICE POLICE PATROL VEHICLE (PPV)
HOLDENS have been liberally exported all through Asia, Africa and past over time, and various ended up serving as police autos. The final of the road was the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Car (left), which stuffed the hole left by the venerable Ford Crown Victoria – till GM pulled the plug on Aussie manufacturing.
FORD EL II FALCON XR8
FORD’S late-’97 engine and suspension upgrades gave the EL II XR8 (proper, pictured with its VS II Commodore counterpart) the punch and panache to be thought-about a viable different to Commodores for freeway patrol use.
FORD BA FALCON XR6 TURBO
With 240kW/450Nm, the BA XR6 Turbo’s boosted twin-cam, four-valve Barra 4.0L six just about meant ‘don’t hassle making an attempt’ if you noticed red-and-blues from one among these in your mirror.
FORD FG-X FALCON XR6 TURBO
FORD’S final Australian-made interceptor mannequin was the FG-X Falcon XR6T claiming 270kW and 533Nm. The police bundle included larger, cross-drilled and slotted Brembo entrance brakes borrowed from the FPV vary.
