85 SSP Mustang - CHP #E408395

[28HopUp]

A few months ago I picked up an 85 SSP Mustang. It was owned by the gym teacher at my son's school. He bought it in 1999 from his brother in LA, and brought it back to Delaware.

Here's an interior shot. It was repainted "Toyota Gray" by the CHP prior to auction. The car is only mildly modified. It has carb-legal JBA shorties, dual Flowmasters, Centerforce clutch, Hurst shifter, 87-up front disc brakes, rear disk brakes (most likely for a 93 Cobra), KYB shocks, and lowering springs. I sandblsted and painted the 10-holes satin black, and installed 255/60R15 BFG's out back. In-hand are some interior fix-ups from FMR, which I'll install this winter. Here's a recent shot of it prior to mounting the BFG's -




I joined two SSP forums, and started learning all that I could about them. I found something interesting about my car. My car MAY be a SMPV (Specially Marked Patrol Vehicle). In the late 1980's, the CHP took an estimated 25-50 of their marked black & white 1985 Mustangs and repainted them different colors to be used as Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit. There were SMPV versions of both Mustangs and regular sedans in the later '80s. The first batch of Mustangs were '85s and besides the unique paint jobs, they also featured many custom touches:

* smaller, body color 5" spots
* low profile deck lighting
* custom, lay down shotgun rack
* single Sti-Co undercover antenna







A second batch was produced using '89 models and they were similarily painted and equipped as the '85s with the exception that the outside spots were deleted and replaced with a single red halogen mirror light (first install in a Mustang) and a hand-held mag-mount clear spot that was kept inside the car. Paint colors mentioned as used or observed for both the '85s and the '89s include blue, maroon, silver, gold (or copper) and white. So far, not one confirmed survivor of any year has been located by anyone in the hobby.

By scraping away in certain places on my car, I found silver paint under the topcoat on the roof and body, but there's no silver on the doors - just white under the topcoat (well, it's black under the white on the doors). I am trying to get a copy of my car's assignment card from thew CHP, which would verify its use as a SMPV. The assignment card MAY be lost forever, in which case my car will be an unverified SMPV, with the best evidence of its past being the layered paint. So, I won't be repainting the car any time soon.