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Rumor has it that Australia’s highway patrol may be getting the ultimate pursuit vehicle, the 2015 Ford Mustang. Over the next three years, production will cease for their usual high-performance pursuit Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores. With the absence of both the Falcon and Commodore, the Aussie highway patrol will need to seek out additional options for their police fleet and the 2015 Ford Mustang may be recruited to fill that void.
Why the Ford Mustang? Well, the 2015 Ford Mustang is the only confirmed V8 thus far for Ford and Holden showrooms since Aussie sedans plan to switch over to four-cylinder by the end of 2017. Sure those “hot hatches” may add variety, but having a V8 vehicle on duty seems necessary. With an estimated price of $50,000, adding the ’15 Mustang to the pursuit lineup may seem a bit fancy, but the cost to convert their current patrol cars is about the same.
When it comes to law enforcement vehicles, the Mustang is no stranger to police forces here in the United States. While the Mustang may be new to Australia police fleets, back in the 1970s and early 1980s, New South Wales Police were given Chargers and Ford Falcon V8 coupes. The Falcon coupe used in the original Mad Max movie, also known as “Australia’s Mustang”, was used by Aussie police during the same time the movie was being filmed.
In 2003, a HSV GTO coupe was used, but today Australia relies heavily on the Falcon and Commodore pursuit vehicles. The fastest police cars in Australia include the HSV GTS and Ford Falcon GT but they are mainly used for safety awareness campaigns and not as highway patrol vehicles. Police in Queensland added 10 Holden Monaros to their lineup in 2005 and as of 2011, they have a total of five HSV Clubsport sedans.
Now with highway patrol vehicle options dwindling, hopefully the new S550 Mustang will join Australia’s highway patrol to help intimidate the criminals down under.
