Before they are despatched to Europe every car undergoes what we call we call our ‘SIP’ procedure, or “Select – Inspect & Correct – Perfect”

Select

We select only the very best cars. We can afford to be choosey – thousands of these cars come on to the market every month – so before purchase we follow this rigorous process with every car;

We ensure that each car is manufactured to Ford’s impressive ‘Police Interceptor’ specification. (Ford never sell new ‘Interceptors’ to the general public).

• We conduct a thorough history check to ensure that the vehicle has;
  * Only one previous (named) owner (i.e. State Agency, usually Police Department)
  * A full service history
  * Genuine mileage record
  * Genuine and clear ownership title
  * No previous major accident damage.

We supply a copy of each car’s official history to each new owner. We regard each of our cars as a unique individual. So when you buy a car from us, you buy its unique history (and character) too.

We ensure the car is no older than 2008 year of manufacture (unless you request otherwise).

We ensure the car never has more than 75,000 miles on the clock. For a ‘Police Interceptor’ that is barely a ‘run in’ mileage! These cars are manufactured for a service life of 250,000 miles, and most have been assigned to one officer in their previous American life. Indeed many similar cars from the 1990s are still in day-to-day service all over the USA. Amazing as it may seem to us in Europe, in many US Counties and States the officers even take their cars home each night – many Agencies understand that the best way to preserve the value of their cars is to encourage their employees to treat them as their own personal transport. These cars are meticulously cared for – after all, the officer’s life can often depend on their car!

We only select cars from southern American States. Why? Simple – so that your car has never encountered salt. In northern US States and Canada the winters can be tough; when snow falls roads are salted. In the southern States the closest a car gets to salt is when the officer makes a comfort stop at the local McDonalds!

Inspect & Correct

Having selected a suitable car, our American colleagues move on to the next stage.

1. Each car is stripped down and fully inspected by mechanics who know these cars inside out. Indeed, when they are not checking cars for USA Cop Cars Ltd, they are servicing and repairing similar Interceptors every day for local American law enforcement Departments.

The very best cars are then set aside for USA Cop Cars Ltd before undergoing a full refurbishment. So what does that actually mean?

* Full engine service including replacement of oil and ALL filters

* Serpentine belt is inspected and replaced if needed.

* Coil packs are tested and replaced if needed.

* Brake rotors are turned and replaced if needed and all pads are replaced.

* Transmission fluid and filter are replaced.

* Rear end differential fluid is changed.

* Diagnostic scan is performed.

* All suspension components are inspected and an alignment is done if needed.

* Tyres are inspected and replaced if there is less than 75% of new tread life left.

* Antifreeze is added to the cooling system.

The interior is inspected;

* All seats are removed and a complete detail and inspection is performed.

* Any tears or rips in the seats and headliners are replaced with new panels or new factory supplied seats.

* Any trim that is broken or missing is replaced with factory parts.

* The AM/FM factory stereo is installed (and connection made to the PA system)!

* A full size spare tyre, tyre tool and jack are installed.

* Police specification rubber mats are laid over the carpets.

* Each car is thoroughly valeted.

The exterior is inspected by our paint shop;
* Any minor bodywork damage is professionally repaired and paintwork is brought back to ‘as new’ condition.
* New bumpers are fitted.
* The front pillar mounted spotlight is checked for smooth operation.
* Any holes are filled and professionally repaired.
* The car is then sealed and completely prepped for paint.
* The car is painted in base coat and then clear coated.
* Brand new decals and markings are professionally applied (having been checked for compliance with European legislation).

2. Next come the modifications required to ensure every car is street legal;

* A European street legal multi colour roof-mounted lightbar is fitted (custom-built for USA Cop Cars) with static multi-colour lights individually controlled from the centre console.
* Non-legal American two tone sirens are replaced by a single note 85 dB Air Horn.
* A Public Address (PA) system is fitted, with centre console mounted microphone and 100dB speaker mounted at the front of the engine compartment.
* The original Ford factory specified FM/AM radio is refitted, and wired to broadcast through the cabin speakers OR through the PA system.
* Various modifications are made to the lighting systems to ensure they conform to European Standards. For example, fog lights are fitted, red American turn indicators are replaced by European amber indicators, etc.

Perfect

By now each car is in similar mechanical condition to when Ford first rolled it out of its St. Thomas birthplace!

All that remains before it departs its homeland is an exhaustive road test and final inspection.

Now each of our babies is ready for its new life– but our attention to detail does not end in America.

Most cars imported to Europe from the USA and the Far East are shipped as ‘roll on roll off’ (‘RO-RO’) cargo. They spend several weeks crossing oceans on the decks of ships, open to pilferage and with adjacent cargo being loaded and unloaded at intervening ports. Even if loaded inside the vessels they are exposed to the salty sea air and potential corrosion and transit damage.

Our babies aren’t treated that way! No Sir!

Securely strapped down and sealed inside 40 feet long steel containers near our workshops, our cars are safe from pilferage and damage. They do not see daylight again until several weeks later, when they reach Europe where their new lives await.

Within hours of their arrival, USA Cop Cars Ltd collect the cars on trailers, and deliver them direct to the UK Government’s VOSA test centres in Britain, where each car undergoes individual testing to check compliance with the European safety Standards. Once the appropriate certificates of conformity have been issued, they are then trailered to our base to await sale.

Finally, we deliver each car on our own trailers direct to their new owners, anywhere in Europe.

We believe that it is this obsession to detail at all stages of each car’s re-incarnation that makes every USA Cop Car vehicle unique!