Georgia State Patrol 1982 Trial: 6 High Performance Sports Cars, 6 Months: Ford Mustang Versus Pontiac Trans Am

In the summer of 1982, the Georgia State Patrol put six sports cars on the road to answer a practical question: could a Mustang or a Trans Am serve as a highway patrol car? The six-month pilot began July 1 with three Ford Mustang GTs and three Pontiac Firebird Trans Ams.

Troopers tested them while working their regular duties. Opening-day news footage shows a trooper driving a Trans Am on the interstate, discussing its speed and handling. A patrol spokesperson said the cars would be assigned to experienced pursuit drivers in different parts of Georgia. GSP put the cars to work on the highways they were meant to patrol.

The 1982 Mustang GT packed a 5.0-liter High Output V8 rated at 157 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, paired with a four-speed manual transmission. It was a compact car with the power and maneuverability GSP wanted to evaluate for highway duty. The three pilot Mustangs were GTs, built before Georgia's later Special Service Package patrol cars arrived.

Pontiac brought its newly redesigned Trans Am to the trial. Low and wide, it offered a different feel from the Mustang while also drawing power from a 5.0-liter V8. For 1982, Pontiac offered a 145-horsepower carbureted version and a 165-horsepower Cross-Fire fuel-injected version. The three GSP Trans Ams carried patrol markings and joined the Mustangs in daily service.

That daily service tested more than acceleration. Troopers had to merge into fast traffic, maneuver through it, carry their equipment, make stops, and spend an entire shift in the cars. Interior space was part of the experience. A GSP trooper interviewed in 1984 praised his Mustang's performance but pointed to its limited room for transporting prisoners. A sports car could be quick on the highway while making that routine patrol task awkward.

Georgia's next purchase showed where its sports-car patrol fleet was headed. In 1983, GSP ordered ten Ford Mustang Special Service Package cars. These were a new model-year purchase, separate from the three 1982 GTs in the pilot. The 1983 Mustangs had an updated 5.0-liter V8 rated at 175 horsepower, along with police equipment that included a calibrated speedometer.

The Mustang's performance also drew national attention. In 1984, Popular Mechanics included a GSP Mustang in a police-car track test. A contemporary newspaper account reported a top speed of 119 mph, 14 mph faster than its nearest competitor in that test.

The ten-car order was the beginning of a much larger GSP Mustang fleet. Georgia ordered 100 SSP Mustangs in 1988, followed by 42 in 1989, 55 in 1990, 83 in 1991, and 20 in 1992. Including the ten purchased for 1983, that amounted to 310 Special Service Package Mustangs. Add the three original 1982 pilot GTs, another 1982 GT used by the fleet manager, and one additional non-SSP Mustang purchased in 1983, and GSP's documented total reaches 315 Mustangs.

The Trans Ams had their moment on Georgia's highways during the 1982 pilot. The Mustangs became a lasting part of the patrol fleet. After their service ended, retired GSP Mustangs made their way to government auctions, where buyers found former patrol cars with a story few ordinary used vehicles could match. Some survived the years that followed and have been restored to their Georgia State Patrol appearance.