Recently, Rockstar Games introduced two new "formidable" police vehicles to Grand Theft Auto Online through the Bottom Dollar Bounties update. The "Law Enforcement Vehicles Week" brought the Vapid Dominator FX Interceptor and Declasse Impaler LX Cruiser. If you are considering doing some dispatch work, you can buy them from Warstock Cache & Carry and clean the streets of lawlessness. But where exactly do these new trooper cars come from and what do they want from us?
First, there's the $4,950,000 Vapid Dominator FX Interceptor, also at a $3,712,500 trade price. You can only get it after completing Dispatch Work - Malicious Mischieftrade. It's a reinforced 1980s muscle car that's also been retrofitted for speedy hot pursuits. Under all those mods, this bad boy was based on the real-life 1979–1982 Ford Mustang, but the Interceptor is a direct nod to the '82 Mustang SSP.
The SSP, short for Special Service Package, served the California Highway Patrol (CHP) much better than the heavy LTD Crown Victoria or the extinct big-block police cars. The CHP ended up with a fleet of 406 'Stang SSP units, replacing the previous Chevrolet Camaro Z28 nameplate, which had a good run for roughly 18 months. In total, Ford produced 15,000 SSP units from 1982 to 1993.
Historical records claim that all Mustang SSP police models had a 4-speed manual gearbox and a 4.9-liter V8 capable of delivering between 157 and 225 horsepower and 240 to 300 lb-ft of twist. Understandably, the power kept increasing over the years. For example, in '83, the V8 cop engine made 175 hp; in '86, 200 hp; and in '89, 225 hp. With a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 6.3 seconds, these babies would top out at 140 mph or 225 kph. In '93, Ford put out the Fox-body production to pasture, ending the Special Service Package.
Before you press the buy button in GTA Online, just remember that, at least for now, you can only modify it on your properties, but more importantly, it has a null resale value, meaning "zilcho dinero."
Photo: Ford
Next, the $4,800,000 Declasse Impaler LX Cruiser from Warstock Cache & Carry is available for a $3,600,000 trade price, but only if you completed Dispatch Work - Civil Disturbance.
The Impaler LX Cruiser Interceptor was modeled after the 1980–1985 Chevrolet Impala but wears the 9C1 police package. The Chevy PPV (Police Pursuit Vehicle or Police Patrol Vehicle) is part of a long-running family tree that has served the police force since the mid-'70s.
During the 1980s, the Impala 9C1 models came with an extended range of engines. For example, sources talk about configurations in the decade's early years using a 3.8-liter (229 ci) V6 base mill that produced 115 hp. More options allowed for a 305-ci V8 with 115 hp or a 350-ci V8 with 165 hp.
Then, in '82, there were slim pickings, only between the 110-hp 3.8-liter (229 ci) V6 or the 5.7-liter (350 ci) V8 powerplant, which produced 150 hp. Apparently, the California Highway Patrol chose the 1982 Impala as an enforcement-class vehicle.
For the next two years, things didn't change much for the police unit. At least not so much that it's worth reporting, outside the '83 new 4-speed auto gearbox equipped with the 5.7-liter V8 models. In 1985, a new 4.3-liter (262 ci) configuration was born and produced 130 hp. The 155-hp 5.7-liter (350 ci) V8 was still making the rounds.
Photo: code3garage
While these in-game knockoffs are far removed from the legendary vehicles that inspired and brought them to digital life, at least Rockstar Games proves time and time again they really know how to cherry-pick their newly introduced rides. Car enthusiasts and even novices can rejoice at the sight of the historical Vapid Dominator FX Interceptor and Declasse Impaler LX Cruiser.
Grand Theft Auto VI just crossed the 200+ million views threshold on YouTube, which is mindblowing because it did that in only seven months since its release on December 5, 2023. It's also quite funny when you cross-reference those numbers to the 200+ million sold copies record Grand Theft Auto V recently reached.
No matter what anyone says about the GTA franchise or Rockstar Games, one thing is certain about the team and their products: they have something so unique and widespread that no other game developer on the planet can replicate this magnitude of success with a title from this genre. Many others have tried, but GTA keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Since GTA V came out in September 2013, it raked in more than $10 billion for Take-Two Interactive. And with leaks indicating that the overall budget for GTA 6 is as high as two billion US dollars, there's no telling how the upcoming Fall 2025 entry will perform at launch, not to mention over 10-15 years. Suffice it to say that when Grand Theft Auto VI drops, it will heavily impact the video game market landscape like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs long ago.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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