Ford Mustang Joins FHP Fleet For First Time Since The ’90s

The Ford Mustang SSP (Special Service Package) was in production for many years as part of the pony car’s Fox Body generation, and made quite the impression on law enforcement over that timeframe. The Ford Mustang SSP also became well-known among the many folks that tried to evade one out on the highway, as it was rather good at high-speed pursuits, too. Many agencies had SSP pony cars in their fleets back in the 1990s – including the Florida Highway Patrol – and now, that same outfit has added the newest Ford Mustang to its lineup.

The Florida Highway Patrol has announced that the Ford Mustang has returned to its fleet of patrol cars for the first time since the mid-1990s, in fact, sporting the same black and tan paint scheme that made its predecessor quite famous. It’s somewhat hard to believe that the Mustang has been absent from that lineup for so long – especially after FHP has added other performance cars, including the Chevy Corvette, in recent years, but it’s finally righting that particular oversight.

It’s unclear what sort of modifications these pony cars are packing – outside of the typical upfitting with lights, sirens, and that FHP livery, but they’re based on the V8-powered GT, at least. This fleet expansion also helps diversify the law enforcement agency’s lineup, which already includes plenty of SUVs such as the Ford Police Interceptor Utility and Dodge Durango, so it makes sense to supplement those utilitarian haulers with something a bit more performance-focused.

That’s precisely what FHP’s Ford Mustang police cars are set to do, too – patrol high-speed corridors, looking for super speeders, as well as perhaps engaging in a high speed pursuit or two along the way. Much like the SSP Mustangs struck fear in the hearts of criminals and speeders decades ago, the S650-generation model is now set to carry that torch yet again, it seems, as several other agencies have purchased the same vehicle since it launched a couple of years ago.