New Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

Chevy-badged Holden Statesman marks the return of a US classic

By Riggers / Tuesday, 6 October 2009 / Loading comments

You've got to pity our Boys in Blue sometimes. Just as they being encouraged out of their swanky BMWs and into

, General Motors is revealing a brand new bespoke police cruiser with a chunky V8 and rear-wheel drive for stateside rozzers.

The new Chevrolet Caprice PPV (police patrol vehicle) gets a 355hp 384lb ft 6.0-litre V8 coupled to a six-speed auto that, according to GM, has been 'performance calibrated for police duty'. The suspension and brakes have been upgrade too, though by the look of the smoky getaway in the video (below) an LSD hasn't been included.

The seats have also been specially designed to accommodate an officer's equipment belt, although GM's press material sadly makes no mention of bespoke donut holders.

The eagle-eyed will spot that, although the nose bears a passing resemblance to the now-defunct Pontiac G8, this is not a resurrection of that car. It is in fact a left-hand drive version of the longer-wheelbase Holden Statesman. You've got to welcome the return of the properly rugged US police cruiser, but it is a sad indictment of Chevrolet's US offerings that the Caprice PPV is derived from an Aussie product.

Check out the video below to see the new Caprice in action.