Vehicle Description
Following the early-1970s demise of high-performance engines in
America, police departments still benefited from the continued
availability of heavy-duty law-enforcement option packages, but
officers were usually outgunned by drivers of modified cars in
all-out high-speed pursuits. By the 1980s, a whole new era of
American high-performance cars became available, thanks to new
technologies allowing more performance to be extracted from
smaller-displacement engines. New police-worthy versions of Ford's
Mustang GT and Chevrolet's Camaro were soon developed to help
police officers even the odds, and these cars were very popular
throughout North America, in much the same tradition as police
departments in Europe, which had used Porsches, Jaguars and MGs for
decades, not to mention Italy's elite Squadra Mobile high-speed
task force, which used Ferrari 250 models. Chevrolet enjoyed
success with its third-generation Camaro by developing the B4C
Special Service police package offered from 1991 through the end of
fourth-generation Camaro production in 2002. Powered by a 305ci V8
engine mated to an automatic transmission. Featuring heavier-duty
equipment than regular Camaros and several police-specific
features, the B4C cars were not badged "Z/28," yet officially
designated as a somewhat lower-key "RS." They featured oversized
front and rear sway bars, a high-output alternator powering police
lights and radios, HD brakes, separate coolers for the engine,
power steering and transmission, and certified 145-mph
police-calibrated speedometers. This California Highway Patrol
(CHP) pursuit-car replica includes such correct features as
emergency lighting, dual spotlights, a Motorola radio system and
other period-correct California Highway Patrol equipment, including
"Out of Service" signs. From the Mile-High Collection.
