Nevada Highway Patrol Retires Last Ford Crown Victoria P71 in the Fleet

Over seven years after the retirement of the Ford Crown Victoria P71 production line, we are seeing the last remaining "Vics" go out to pasture. These iconic police workhorses have proudly served their term and departments are forced to retire them due to aging technology and high mileage. 

Just last week, the Nevada Highway Patrol retired their last P71 Police Interceptor. The old V8 will be replaced by the 2017 Dodge Charger Pursuit. The newer police vehicles have technology like bluetooth, steering wheel mounted lights and sirens controls, Officer Protection Packagesand much more. Although they may not be iconic as the Crown Victoria, they are better suited for modern day police work.

Still, the Crown Victoria P71 will be heavily missed by many seasoned veterans on the force. The old 'Vic was known for its roomy interior, massive trunk, reliable 4.6-liter V8 and cheap repair costs. To refresh your memory, the 2011 Ford Crown Victoria P71 had 250 horsepower, 297 lb-ft of torque and could hit 60 mph in just around 8 seconds. So, the P71 wasn't a rocket, but it also would never die. Plenty of fleeing suspects had their vehicle's overheat with the reliable Crown Victoria still on their tail.

Thanks to the Panther platform and bolt-on design of the Crown Victoria, department mechanics could easily swap parts between units within the hour and get the workhorses back on the road. Now it is a little more costly to repair squad cars and down times may be upwards of a week rather than an afternoon.