Junkyard Gem: 2010 Chevrolet Impala 9C1 Police Automotive

From its introduction for the 1992 mannequin 12 months till its discontinuation in 2011, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor so dominated the North American police-car universe that it appeared such as you hardly noticed The Regulation driving the rest. Nonetheless, Normal Motors made a decided effort to pry away some gross sales to law-enforcement fleet consumers throughout that interval, principally within the type of the 9C1/9C3 Chevrolet Impala/Caprice. I’ve documented only a single rear-wheel-drive 9C1 Caprice on this sequence to date, so the time appeared proper to hunt out a later front-wheel-drive Chevy police cruiser. Here is a W-Platform 9C1 Impala, present in a Denver self-service yard not too long ago.

The Impala was a rear-wheel-drive automotive from the time of its introduction for the 1958 mannequin 12 months by the ultimate “whale” vehicles in 1996, with some interruptions in between when solely the Caprice title was used on large Chevy sedans bought right here. When the Impala title was revived— once more— for the 2000 mannequin 12 months, it was utilized to a front-wheel-drive automotive based mostly on the identical platform because the Pontiac Grand Prix and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. That is the place it stayed till The Normal axed the Impala one more time, in 2020.

It is simple sufficient to get ex-cop autos at public sale, as I realized once I purchased the seven-year-old P71 Police Interceptor that grew to become my each day driver for the latter half of the 2000s. That automotive was an unmarked unit utilized by a parole officer, whereas in the present day’s Junkyard Gem clearly began life as a daily patrol automotive.

I feel my subsequent ex-police automobile might want to come from Japan. Because the proprietor of a Subaru kei van, I’ve had my eye on Japanese auctions for a stable Subaru Chiffon Police Interceptor (this although the Chiffon is known as a Daihatsu and will not be authorized for import to the USA for an additional 19 years).

Energy got here from this 3.9-liter Excessive Worth V6 engine, rated at 230 horsepower with the 9C1’s dual-exhaust system.

The one transmission obtainable was a heavy-duty model of the 4T65E four-speed automated. There seems to be a spare on this automotive’s trunk.

The 9C1 bought all method of particular tools, together with outsized fluid coolers and heavy-duty suspension and brakes. This one nonetheless has a few of its police electronics inside.

I’m wondering what number of perps rode on this again seat (which can have been a urine-resistant fiberglass unit throughout police service).

The unique wheels should have regarded too cop-like with their dogdish hubcaps, so a set of Pontiac alloy rims bought swapped in sooner or later.

The digital odometer means we’ll by no means know what number of miles had been on this automotive, however we will assume that they had been many and difficult.