[TWX]

I found a video of a 2013 Charger being upfit by "Starcar". Looks like it arrived as the least-equipped police package and was upfitted aftermarket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfNjMrAyFE0

The negatives I see in this upfit are a lot to do with how it will perform in a collision, and how it will wear in rust-belt climates. To the latter, they drill holes and don't appear to seal the metal before sticking things through the holes, no paint or anything. There are a LOT of holes too, so I can see a lot of possible rust points.

To the former, the airbag disconnect switch seems necessary given the laptop mount, and that whole thing seems like a potential issue. In the front, when they install the pushbar they left off the factory under-bumper-cover reinforcement relying entirely on the aftermarket outer reinforcement.

How does this upfit compare with the corporate-supported upfits done on the Charger?

 

[digitalrailroader]

Wow, its like the Police want suspects to be as uncomfortable as humanly possible when riding in the Back Seat of a Patrol car; the Back Seat Pretty much has ZERO Comfort, the suspects get ZERO Legroom, as most of it is taken up by the partition, and there wasn't a SINGLE PANEL on that car that wasn't Drilled through and RUINED.

 

[TWX]

Well, long gone are the B-body an C-body cars and their interior space. I don't see a better option for upfitting an actual sedan beyond a modern "full size" which is about the same size as an A-body, and no one is going to spend the money on a wheelbase modification like the 300 long wheelbase executive car. Bear in mind, they are also taking away front seat travel, it doesn't slide back as far as it did and it certainly doesn't recline to the driving position that some drivers would prefer.

I rode in a taxi based on a small crossover a few years ago, it had a bulkhead to protect the driver, and it was a good thing that the driver was a pretty small guy, otherwise he'd have been terribly uncomfortable.

Another thing about the rear seat and compartment in general, there have been problems in the past with those arrested that managed to avoid having contraband discovered in a patdown then discarding their contraband into crevices or folds in the interior of the car, so that when they're more thoroughly searched at booking the contraband won't result in additional charges. The one-piece rear seat, the solid slip-over panels, and other changes are designed to make that harder. They're also designed to be cleaned more easily, and durable enough to withstand the abuse of an unruly arrestee.

As to permanent changes, the customer isn't going to be concerned about making modifications if it makes the car serve their purposes. They aren't buying the car with resale in mind, typically money that is raised through the sale of surplus equipment goes into the municipality general fund, not the police department's budget, so it's more important for them to get the machine to do what they need then to protect its integrity for a possible future buyer.

I actually wouldn't mind an ex-police car, depending on the condition of the drivetrain. LX cars are starting to appear in junkyards now, so finding replacement interior panels and other civilian parts are becoming available to restore the car back to pre-upfit condition. Seats and interior panels can be found. My main interest in a retired LX cop car is for the column shifter and different suspension, plus the heavy duty changes and improvements.