Driving Sports

"It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?" -Elwood

No, it's not a Plymouth Belvedere ("One Adam-12, One Adam-12") but this prototype doughnut daredevil could find some appeal outside the company's target market. Carbon Motors has developed this purpose-built, turbo-diesel sedan to be the ultimate cop car, and it actually looks cool. It's got the long-low slab-o'-steel thing that Chrysler attempted with the 300 and Magnum, but it's also got the angular cut-lines of the Cadillac CTS.  There's no doubt that the man who drives this baby is, well, The Man.

But it's not enough for the paddy wagon of the future to look like a prop from Robocop, it's gotta have the guts to go chasing the 7oon3r K1dZ down the freeway, right? So here's what's under the hood -a 300 horsepower, 420 pound-foot turbo-diesel engine and a RWD 6-speed automatic trans. The cops roll on 245/50-18s, and this rig will hit 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, and turn a 1/4-mile in 14.5. Top speed is 155 MPH, and it takes 0.85G on the skid pad. And it gets 30 MPG.

But that's not the best part. It's got integrated shotgun mounts, suicide rear doors, and you can hose out the whole rear seat area. I don't know about you, but parents of toddlers will be lining up to buy one of these for that feature alone.

No word at press time about public availability of the Carbon Motors E7, but they've picked out an abandoned factory in Connersville, Indiana to build them. Worst case, they'll be available at the police auction in a few years. Carbon says they'll cost about the same as a cop-prepared Crown Vic or Caprice, so price shouldn't be any object.

With all that going for it, we say "Book it, Dan-o."