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Ford Crown Victoria Is an Undercover “Ghost” With Vortech V8 and a Stick Shift

Although its little “Police Interceptor” badge on the trunk lid and the larger manual light spotters for the driver and partner might give it away as a retired cop car, one shouldn’t dismiss this as just another patrol car that ended up on the civilian market. The “Casper” insignia on a Blue Oval background front and back should be the first signs there’s a little more to this white Ford Crown Victoria than meets the eye.
Ford Crown Victoria Vortech supercharged V8 on AutotopiaLA 42 photos
Photo: AutotopiaLA/YouTube
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That and the tasty white body on black wheels should pretty much settle the case and indicate we’re dealing with a sleeper sedan that went undercover as a ghost. What, adult folk can still enjoy a cartoon and movie character (a.k.a. Casper the Friendly Ghost) as much as anyone else, right?

Now that we settled the debate on where the inspiration came for the subtle and understated looks, there’s another surprise for Shawn, the host of the AutotopiaLA channel on YouTube, besides the fact that it’s an “actual cop car.”

That’s because when the hood is popped open (1:15 mark), the Ford showcases a great asset: its Vortech supercharged V8. The 4.6-liter engine is basically stock - save for the 8 PSI blower, that is. The car has been running like this for about five or six years, and while it originally developed around 220 hp, right now it makes about 450 horsepower at the crank.

Moving on to check out the interior, there’s another neat surprise for Shawn as the Crown Vic has been turned into a driver’s delight via a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission and an aftermarket clutch. And that’s not all, because the underbody also comes with a reworked suspension that’s now fully adjustable just to get along with the upgraded front brakes from Wilwood (the rear ones are still stock).

Now for the action part, because after all the astonishments, Shawn definitely wants to “go for a ride in this thing.” Naturally, there’s an effortless way to sneak in a running joke from the camera operator: “This time in the front seat...”

Even more so, because he’s driving Casper (from the 4:45 mark) to check out its undercover assets firsthand. Or let’s say first ear and leg because there are two standout impressions from his ride (before turning the steering wheel to the owner from the 6:07 mark): the constant soundtrack of the supercharger and the firmness of the clutch.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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