Summary

Authentic re-creation of a B4C California Highway Patrol pursuit car powered by a 305ci V8 engine mated to an automatic transmission. From the Mile-High Collection.

Details

Following the early-1970s demise of high-performance engines in America, police departments still benefited from the continued availability of heavy-duty law-enforcement option packages, but officers were usually outgunned by drivers of modified cars in all-out high-speed pursuits. By the 1980s, a whole new era of American high-performance cars became available, thanks to new technologies allowing more performance to be extracted from smaller-displacement engines. New police-worthy versions of Ford's Mustang GT and Chevrolet's Camaro were soon developed to help police officers even the odds, and these cars were very popular throughout North America, in much the same tradition as police departments in Europe, which had used Porsches, Jaguars and MGs for decades, not to mention Italy's elite Squadra Mobile high-speed task force, which used Ferrari 250 models. Chevrolet enjoyed success with its third-generation Camaro by developing the B4C Special Service police package offered from 1991 through the end of fourth-generation Camaro production in 2002. Powered by a 305ci V8 engine mated to an automatic transmission. Featuring heavier-duty equipment than regular Camaros and several police-specific features, the B4C cars were not badged 'Z/28,' yet officially designated as a somewhat lower-key 'RS.' They featured oversized front and rear sway bars, a high-output alternator powering police lights and radios, HD brakes, separate coolers for the engine, power steering and transmission, and certified 145-mph police-calibrated speedometers. This California Highway Patrol (CHP) pursuit-car replica includes such correct features as emergency lighting, dual spotlights, a Motorola radio system and other period-correct California Highway Patrol equipment, including 'Out of Service' signs. From the Mile-High Collection.