Chevy unveils final specs on Caprice squad

General Motors today announced order and delivery dates, as well as final 9C1 package specifications, for the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV). America’s first Australian-sourced cop car will be sold along with the current FWD Impala and the Tahoe PPV, making Chevrolet the only brand to offer three police vehicles. Chevy is also offering a Detective Package, with no graphics and a wider range of colors, as a 9C3 option.

The new GM squad is based on the same Holden Statesman RWD platform as the now-discontinued Pontiac G8. It will have a 6.0L V8 engine, producing 355 horsepower and 384 lb.-ft. torque and a six-speed transmission with sport shift calibrations. Standard equipment includes a 2.92 rear axle ratio. A V6 will be available next year. Chevy claims the Caprice will have “segment-leading” top speed and 0-60 times. An electronic “Trap Speed” feature captures the speed when pacing a violator.

“When we began designing our latest police vehicle, we went directly to our customers and found that they were looking for a rear-wheel, large sedan with a V-8 engine,” said Brian Small, general manager, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations. We’re not sure why that was a mystery to GM, considering that’s an exact description of the Ford Crown Victoria that has dominated the police market since the last big Chevy was dropped in the mid-1990s.

Chevrolet will begin taking orders for the Detective Package in October with deliveries starting in April 2011. Ordering for the for the full-tilt Police Patrol Vehicle will begin in January and motorists need to start watching for them next June.

Photo courtesy of GM media.