Michigan test archive

1990 Michigan State Police Patrol Vehicle Test

Acceleration, top speed and braking move to Ford’s proving ground, a five-speed Mustang posts the quickest acceleration times in the books held here to that point, and the Caprice 5.7 beats the Crown Victoria in every scored category.

The 1990 test was run in September 1989, and this is the full book. Its preface lists “6 police patrol package cars and 2 special pursuit package cars”: three Chevrolet Caprices (5.7 and 5.0 V8 and 4.3 V6, all with throttle-body injection), two Ford Crown Victorias (the 5.8 variable-venturi V8 and the port-injected 5.0), a port-injected 3.8 Ford Taurus, the first Taurus in the books held here, and two 5.0 H.O. Ford Mustangs, one five-speed and one automatic. No Chrysler product appears in the book; the preface thanks “the vehicle manufacturers-Ford Motor Company, and the Chevrolet Division of General Motors” for the test cars.

The straight-line work moved for the year. The preface explains: “Those of you familiar with our evaluation from previous years may notice that our acceleration, top speed and braking tests were conducted this year at the Ford Motor Company, Michigan Proving Grounds. In prior years, we have used the Chrysler Proving Grounds, however, due to a major construction project involving their high speed oval, their facilities were not available to us this year.” Every acceleration and brake sheet is dated 16 September 1989. The lap times were set on the Michigan International Speedway road course; the book does not date them.

Only two cars were scored: the Caprice 5.7 and the Crown Victoria 5.8, the only Caprice and Crown Victoria variants inside all four qualification standards (the book does not say why the others were not scored). The Caprice was best in all six categories, so its total weighted score is 0; the Crown Victoria’s is 5.05. The specification’s rule is that “The vehicle to be purchased will be determined by the adjusted low bid price”, but the bid columns of the results page are blank, and the book does not say which car Michigan bought.

The quickest car was the five-speed Mustang: 60 mph in 6.64 seconds, 100 in 18.66 and the quarter mile in 15.22 seconds at 91.90 mph. Each is the quickest in the books held here to that point; the 1988 five-speed had run 6.90, 19.07 and 15.48. One of its four runs was lost, “Unavailable Due To Timer Malfunction”, so its figures are averages of three. The automatic Mustang was the fastest car, at 136.0 mph.

The 1990 qualification rules. The specification (Mich. 3905-0010, August 1989, printed as the book’s pages 1–7) says: “In order to qualify for bidding, all vehicles submitted by manufacturers must meet each of the following performance standards”. These are 60 mph in 12.5 seconds or less, 80 in 22.2 and 100 in 39.3, as the average of four runs. “A speed of 110 mph must be attained within a 2-mile distance”, after which the car is “accelerated to the maximum speed attainable within 14 miles”. The brake test is four consecutive stops from 90 mph at a constant 22 ft/s², then an impending-skid stop from 60. After a four-minute wait the sequence is repeated, followed by a panic stop from 60; “Evidence of brake fade and ability of the vehicle to stop in a straight line within its own lane will be evaluated.” The categories are weighted 30 points for vehicle dynamics, 20 for 0–100 acceleration, 10 for braking, 20 for top speed, 10 for ergonomics and communications and 10 for fuel economy. The 1989 bulletin’s times had been 12.7, 23.1 and 41.7 seconds; the 1991 bulletin’s are 12.3, 20.8 and 37.4.

All eight cars — acceleration, top speed and the road course

Source: 1990 Police Patrol Vehicle Evaluation and Purchasing Program, summary pages 27–29 and dynamics pages 22–23 (PDF 322–324, 317–318). Acceleration is the average of four runs at Ford’s Michigan Proving Ground, 16 September 1989, two in each direction. For the five-speed Mustang the acceleration times, the quarter mile and the distance to 100 mph are averages of three runs, because a timer malfunction lost one. Top speed is the highest reached within 14 miles. Dynamics is the average of each car’s fastest 12 of 16 timed laps on the 1.635-mile Michigan International Speedway road course. —: the 5.0 Crown Victoria never reached 110 mph (the book prints N/A). Rows are grouped as the book’s summary pages and preface group them. Gold row: the lower total weighted score of the two scored cars.
Car	Engine	0–60 (s)	0–80 (s)	0–100 (s)	¼-mile (s @ mph)	Top speed (mph)	Miles to 100 mph	Miles to 110 mph	Dynamics
Scored for the bid (pages 44–45)
Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI	5.7L (350) V8 TBI	9.36	16.85	29.71	17.16 @ 80.58	122.1	0.57	1.08	1:26.75
Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV	5.8L (351) V8 VV	11.19	18.95	34.02	18.31 @ 78.35	121.0	0.64	1.06	1:28.58
Police patrol package cars with acceleration, top-speed and lap data, not scored
Chevrolet Caprice 5.0L-TBI	5.0L (305) V8 TBI	11.99	22.34	42.60	18.77 @ 74.70	113.0	0.84	2.46	1:29.74
Ford Crown Victoria 5.0L-PFI	5.0L (302) V8 PFI	11.23	20.39	38.67	18.24 @ 75.88	107.3	0.76	—	1:28.77
Chevrolet Caprice 4.3L-TBI	4.3L (262) V6 TBI	13.41	25.86	53.09	19.52 @ 71.35	110.2	1.08	6.08	1:30.65
Ford Taurus	3.8L (232) V6 PFI	10.43	19.01	34.00	17.81 @ 77.38	114.0	0.66	1.27	1:27.31
Special pursuit package cars, not scored
Ford Mustang (5-speed)	5.0L (302) V8 PFI-HO	6.64	11.39	18.66	15.22 @ 91.90	135.4	0.34	0.49	1:22.18
Ford Mustang (automatic)	5.0L (302) V8 PFI-HO	7.97	13.01	21.25	16.17 @ 88.93	136.0	0.38	0.57	1:22.55

Between the two scored cars the gap was wide in a straight line. The Caprice 5.7 reached 100 mph 4.31 seconds sooner, 29.71 against 34.02, and lapped 1.83 seconds quicker. Its 9.36 seconds to 60 is quicker than any sedan in the books held here from 1980 to 1989, including the Canadian-market Caprices of 1986 and 1987, at 9.59 and 9.49; only the 1978 Plymouth Fury, at 9.23, was quicker. Top speed was close: 122.1 against 121.0.

The front-drive Taurus lapped in 1:27.31, 0.56 seconds behind the Caprice 5.7 and quicker than both Crown Victorias and the two smaller Caprices. The best lap average by a front-drive car on the earlier year pages had been the 1986 Celebrity’s 1:29.76. The Taurus also reached 100 mph two hundredths of a second sooner than the 5.8 Crown Victoria, but topped out at 114.0.

Measured against the printed qualification times (12.5, 22.2 and 39.3 seconds, and 110 mph within two miles), the Caprice 5.7, the Crown Victoria 5.8, the Taurus and both Mustangs are inside all four. The other three are not:

the 5.0 Caprice is outside the 80 and 100 mph times, at 22.34 and 42.60 seconds, and took 2.46 miles to reach 110;
the 5.0 Crown Victoria is inside all three times but topped out at 107.3 mph;
the 4.3 Caprice is outside all three times, at 13.41, 25.86 and 53.09 seconds, and took 6.08 miles to reach 110.

The book prints no pass or fail for any car. Only the sheets of the two scored cars fill in the time-requirement column.

See the original pages: the 1990 book’s summary pages

Scan of the 1990 Michigan State Police book's three summary pages: acceleration, top speed, quarter mile and braking for eight cars — “Summary of acceleration, top speed and brake testing”, one page per group of cars; the braking figures for the brakes table below are in the lower half of each page. State of Michigan, Department of State Police, *1990 Police Patrol Vehicle Evaluation and Purchasing Program*, PDF pages 322–324 of the scan (printed pages 27–29). Open full size.

Acceleration ladders — every 10-mph step for all eight cars

Source: summary pages 27–29 (PDF 322–324). Averages of four runs in seconds; three runs for the five-speed Mustang.
0 to…	Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI	Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV	Chevrolet Caprice 5.0L-TBI	Ford Crown Victoria 5.0L-PFI	Chevrolet Caprice 4.3L-TBI	Ford Taurus	Ford Mustang (5-speed)	Ford Mustang (automatic)
20 mph	1.92	2.36	2.47	2.03	2.64	2.00	1.64	1.87
30 mph	3.17	4.12	4.18	3.68	4.43	3.37	2.45	3.22
40 mph	4.70	6.05	6.22	5.65	6.77	5.16	3.71	4.57
50 mph	6.77	8.24	8.70	8.12	9.87	7.55	4.99	6.08
60 mph	9.36	11.19	11.99	11.23	13.41	10.43	6.64	7.97
70 mph	12.59	14.66	16.07	15.09	18.47	14.25	8.82	10.31
80 mph	16.85	18.95	22.34	20.39	25.86	19.01	11.39	13.01
90 mph	22.02	25.49	30.23	27.17	36.05	25.11	14.41	16.62
100 mph	29.71	34.02	42.60	38.67	53.09	34.00	18.66	21.25

The two Mustangs were 0.23 seconds apart at 20 mph and 2.59 seconds apart at 100. The port-injected 5.0 Crown Victoria was quicker than the 5.8 up to 50 mph, then fell behind from 60 mph onwards: 38.67 seconds to 100 against 34.02.

Every acceleration run, with the conditions

Source: acceleration and top speed test sheets, pages 30–33 (PDF 325–328), Ford Proving Grounds, 9/16/89. Run times in seconds; “Required” is the sheet’s time-requirement column, filled in only for the two scored cars (the sheet footnotes it “Michigan State Police Minimum Requirements”). On the five-speed Mustang’s sheet, run 1 is marked “Unavailable Due To Timer Malfunction.” Every average recomputes from its runs.
Speed	Required (s)	Run 1	Run 2	Run 3	Run 4	Average
Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI — started 9:42 am, wind 6.8–10 mph from the north, 56.9°F (PDF 325)
0–60 mph	12.5	9.17	9.23	9.68	9.34	9.36
0–80 mph	22.2	16.60	16.46	17.38	16.94	16.85
0–100 mph	39.3	29.59	30.19	29.89	29.18	29.71
Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV — started 9:17 am, wind 6.0–8.8 from the north, 56.3°F (PDF 325)
0–60 mph	12.5	10.98	11.24	11.21	11.31	11.19
0–80 mph	22.2	18.58	19.08	18.98	19.15	18.95
0–100 mph	39.3	33.26	34.42	33.70	34.69	34.02
Chevrolet Caprice 5.0L-TBI — started 1:12 pm, wind 9.3–14.9 MPH from the north, 62.3°F (PDF 326)
0–60 mph	—	11.62	12.14	11.96	12.24	11.99
0–80 mph	—	21.64	22.67	22.25	22.80	22.34
0–100 mph	—	40.63	43.80	41.71	44.27	42.60
Ford Crown Victoria 5.0L-PFI — started 12:51 pm, wind 9.6–16.9 MPH from the north, 61.7°F (PDF 326)
0–60 mph	—	11.25	11.21	11.18	11.28	11.23
0–80 mph	—	20.55	20.65	19.81	20.55	20.39
0–100 mph	—	38.52	40.11	35.93	40.11	38.67
Chevrolet Caprice 4.3L-TBI — started 11:20 am, wind 10.8–14.3 MPH from the north, 57.7°F (PDF 327)
0–60 mph	—	13.05	13.43	13.80	13.36	13.41
0–80 mph	—	26.01	25.84	25.87	25.70	25.86
0–100 mph	—	53.99	53.17	53.20	52.01	53.09
Ford Taurus — started 10:14 am, wind 8.9–12.9 MPH from the north, 56.9°F (PDF 327)
0–60 mph	—	10.67	10.43	10.37	10.23	10.43
0–80 mph	—	19.63	19.02	18.89	18.48	19.01
0–100 mph	—	35.17	33.81	33.68	33.33	34.00
Ford Mustang (5-speed) — started 10:50 am, wind 7.5–12.0 MPH from the north/northwest, 57.2°F (PDF 328)
0–60 mph	—	timer failed	6.58	6.65	6.68	6.64
0–80 mph	—	timer failed	11.25	11.49	11.42	11.39
0–100 mph	—	timer failed	18.41	18.95	18.61	18.66
Ford Mustang (automatic) — started 1:36 pm, wind 9.6–15.7 MPH from the north, 62.2°F (PDF 328)
0–60 mph	—	7.84	8.04	8.01	7.97	7.97
0–80 mph	—	12.81	13.12	12.95	13.16	13.01
0–100 mph	—	20.58	21.57	21.16	21.68	21.25

The method page says each car made “4 acceleration sequences, 2 eastbound and 2 westbound, to allow for wind direction”. The sheets record wind of 6.0 to 16.9 mph, from the north (north/northwest for the five-speed Mustang), and temperatures of 56.3 to 62.3°F. The first car away was the 5.8 Crown Victoria at 9:17 am, and the last was the automatic Mustang at 1:36 pm.

Vehicle dynamics at Michigan International Speedway — every lap, every driver

Four drivers each drove four timed laps in every car over the 1.635-mile road course. The book’s method page says each car “will be driven over the course for at least 12 timed laps, using a minimum of 3 separate drivers. The final score for each vehicle will be the average of the fastest of at least 9 timed laps.” The lap tables say something narrower: “* Calculated from best 12 laps.” Every car ran 16 laps, and each printed average is the mean of its 12 fastest, with the four slowest dropped. All eight recompute from the printed laps. The 4.3 Caprice’s best 12 average exactly 1:30.645, printed 1:30.65.

Source: pages 22–23 (PDF 317–318): “All times in minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second”. Drivers as printed, surnames only. The last column, each driver’s mean of his four laps, is computed here; the book prints only the overall average.
Driver	Lap 1	Lap 2	Lap 3	Lap 4	Four-lap mean (computed)
Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI — printed average 1:26.75 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:26.07, slowest 1:28.12
Ring	1:26.07	1:26.45	1:27.07	1:26.54	1:26.53
Steendam	1:26.92	1:26.13	1:26.33	1:26.31	1:26.42
Halliday	1:27.33	1:27.61	1:27.84	1:26.98	1:27.44
Lubahn	1:27.75	1:28.12	1:27.92	1:27.26	1:27.76
Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV — printed average 1:28.58 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:28.21, slowest 1:29.39
Ring	1:28.28	1:28.82	1:28.86	1:29.39	1:28.84
Steendam	1:29.01	1:28.37	1:29.17	1:28.68	1:28.81
Halliday	1:28.29	1:28.82	1:28.36	1:28.21	1:28.42
Lubahn	1:28.45	1:28.77	1:29.21	1:29.30	1:28.93
Chevrolet Caprice 5.0L-TBI — printed average 1:29.74 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:29.11, slowest 1:30.72
Ring	1:30.26	1:29.66	1:29.87	1:30.08	1:29.97
Steendam	1:29.11	1:29.65	1:29.24	1:29.84	1:29.46
Halliday	1:30.72	1:30.40	1:30.64	1:30.64	1:30.60
Lubahn	1:30.51	1:29.70	1:29.37	1:29.69	1:29.82
Ford Crown Victoria 5.0L-PFI — printed average 1:28.77 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:28.54, slowest 1:29.75
Ring	1:28.75	1:29.55	1:29.39	1:29.75	1:29.36
Steendam	1:28.74	1:28.84	1:29.05	1:29.41	1:29.01
Halliday	1:28.95	1:28.56	1:28.96	1:28.64	1:28.78
Lubahn	1:28.75	1:28.64	1:28.80	1:28.54	1:28.68
Chevrolet Caprice 4.3L-TBI — printed average 1:30.65 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:30.34, slowest 1:32.45
Ring	1:30.70	1:30.35	1:30.84	1:30.54	1:30.61
Steendam	1:30.34	1:30.77	1:31.10	1:30.97	1:30.80
Halliday	1:31.92	1:31.89	1:32.03	1:32.45	1:32.07
Lubahn	1:30.36	1:30.40	1:30.83	1:30.54	1:30.53
Ford Taurus — printed average 1:27.31 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:26.88, slowest 1:28.33
Ring	1:27.47	1:27.75	1:27.08	1:27.70	1:27.50
Steendam	1:27.59	1:27.18	1:27.48	1:27.21	1:27.37
Halliday	1:27.20	1:26.88	1:27.11	1:27.31	1:27.13
Lubahn	1:27.82	1:27.62	1:27.62	1:28.33	1:27.85
Ford Mustang (5-speed) — printed average 1:22.18 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:21.74, slowest 1:22.97
Ring	1:22.57	1:22.31	1:22.61	1:22.97	1:22.62
Steendam	1:21.92	1:22.53	1:21.90	1:22.02	1:22.09
Halliday	1:21.74	1:22.11	1:22.30	1:22.51	1:22.17
Lubahn	1:22.88	1:22.47	1:22.14	1:22.18	1:22.42
Ford Mustang (automatic) — printed average 1:22.55 (best 12 of 16 laps); fastest lap 1:21.98, slowest 1:23.68
Ring	1:22.58	1:23.68	1:23.11	1:22.74	1:23.03
Steendam	1:23.48	1:22.39	1:22.66	1:23.25	1:22.95
Halliday	1:23.13	1:22.61	1:22.59	1:22.84	1:22.79
Lubahn	1:21.98	1:22.47	1:22.60	1:22.00	1:22.26

The quickest single lap printed is Halliday’s 1:21.74 in the five-speed Mustang. In the Caprice 5.7, Steendam’s four laps averaged 1:26.42, and Lubahn’s were the slowest at 1:27.76. Halliday’s laps were the slowest of the four drivers in the 5.0 and 4.3 Caprices, and the quickest in the 5.8 Crown Victoria and the Taurus.

See the original pages: the 1990 book’s lap sheets

Scan of the 1990 book's two vehicle dynamics pages: four laps by each of four drivers for eight cars, with each car's overall average — “Vehicle dynamics testing”: four laps by each of four drivers, with each car’s overall average, “calculated from best 12 laps”. State of Michigan, Department of State Police, *1990 Police Patrol Vehicle Evaluation and Purchasing Program*, PDF pages 317–318 of the scan (printed pages 22–23). Open full size.

Brakes

Source: brake sheets, pages 34–37 (PDF 329–332), and summaries, pages 27–29. Each measured stop is an impending-skid stop from about 60 mph made after four decelerations from 90 mph at 22 ft/s²; Phase II repeats the sequence after a four-minute wait. Distances are as measured from the initial speed shown. Rate = (speed × 1.4667)² ÷ (2 × distance); every rate recomputes, and each average is the mean of the two printed rates. Only four cars have brake figures. The Caprice, Crown Victoria and Mustang sheets name no engine; the summary puts the Mustang’s figures under the five-speed, and prints its Phase II rate as 25.7 where the sheet has 25.70. Rows by average rate.
Car	Phase I speed (mph)	60–0 Phase I (ft)	Phase I rate (ft/s²)	Phase II speed (mph)	60–0 Phase II (ft)	Phase II rate (ft/s²)	Avg decel (ft/s²)
Ford Mustang (5-speed)	60.9	149.5	26.68	60.4	152.7	25.70	26.19
Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI	59.9	158.9	24.29	59.8	159.2	24.16	24.23
Ford Taurus	59.9	158.6	24.33	60.1	174.5	22.26	23.30
Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV	59.9	174.0	22.18	60.2	164.2	23.74	22.96

The five-speed Mustang stopped best, at 26.19 ft/s². Between the scored cars, the Caprice’s two stops were 0.3 feet apart. The Crown Victoria’s first stop, 174.0 feet, was 9.8 feet longer than its second. The Taurus went the other way, from 158.6 to 174.5 feet, the longest stop in the test. On the 60 mph panic stop each sheet answers “Evidence of severe fading?” NO, “Vehicle stopped in straight line?” YES and “Vehicle stopped within correct lane?” YES. The Caprice 5.0, the Crown Victoria 5.0, the Caprice 4.3 and the automatic Mustang have no brake figures.

The preface warns about these numbers: “The average deceleration rates achieved were generally lower than we have seen in the past several years. This is, we believe, due to the fact that the straightaway area we used to conduct the brake testing at the Ford Proving Grounds is somewhat shorter than we have used in past years at the Chrysler Proving Grounds. Because of the shorter distances traveled between brake applications, the brakes had less opportunity to cool. For this reason, the brake test was more severe than in previous years. Be assured that the test was equal for all cars, and the data produced is valid from a car to car comparison standpoint.”

Ergonomics, communications and fuel

Source: pages 39 and 41 (PDF 334, 336). Ergonomics and communications were scored per model, not per engine. The book has one column each for the Chevrolet Caprice, Ford Crown Vic, Ford Taurus and Ford Mustang, so each model’s total is repeated on every engine’s row. Each total is the sum of 29 items graded 1 to 10: 26 ergonomics items scored by officers and three communications items. EPA city is the estimate to the nearest tenth that the book scores (“Scored on city mileage only to the nearest 1/10 mpg”); highway and combined are as printed.
Car	Ergonomics & communications (pts)	EPA city (mpg)	EPA highway (mpg)	EPA combined (mpg)
Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI	209.85	14.0	20	16
Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV	206.13	13.1	19	15
Chevrolet Caprice 5.0L-TBI	209.85	16.4	25	20
Ford Crown Victoria 5.0L-PFI	206.13	17.4	24	20
Chevrolet Caprice 4.3L-TBI	209.85	19.0	27	22
Ford Taurus	177.45	18.5	28	22
Ford Mustang (5-speed)	188.35	16.9	24	20
Ford Mustang (automatic)	188.35	16.8	25	20

The Caprice led on the total, 209.85 against the Crown Victoria’s 206.13. The officers rated the Ford’s interior higher: its 26 ergonomics items add up to about six points more than the Caprice’s. The Caprice’s margin came from the three communications items, scored for the difficulty of fitting radios and equipment. It scored 7.75, 7.60 and 9.33 for dash, trunk and engine access, against the Ford’s 6.00, 6.80 and 2.00. The Mustang’s rear seat scored 2.83 for entry and exit, the lowest ergonomics item in the test. The fuel figures run the other way from the acceleration ones: the 4.3 Caprice was best at 19.0 mpg city, and the two scored cars were the worst, 14.0 and 13.1.

Ergonomics and communications — all 29 items

Source: pages 38–39 (PDF 333–334). Each factor is graded “on a 1 to 10 scale, with 1 representing “totally unacceptable,” 5 representing “average,” and 10 representing “superior.”” The ergonomics items are scored by “a minimum of four officers”; the communications items “by personnel from the Motor Transport Division, Police Car Prep Section”.
Item	Chevrolet Caprice	Ford Crown Victoria	Ford Taurus	Ford Mustang
Front seat
Padding	7.83	8.50	7.17	7.00
Depth of Bench	7.00	8.17	7.50	7.00
Adjustability-front to rear	8.00	8.00	6.67	7.33
Upholstery	6.83	7.67	6.33	7.00
Bucket Seat Design	6.33	7.67	5.17	6.67
Headroom	7.50	8.00	6.83	7.50
Seatbelts	6.83	7.00	6.17	7.83
Ease of Entry and Exit	7.50	8.00	6.33	6.00
Overall Comfort Rating	7.50	8.83	6.83	6.67
Rear seat
Legroom-front seat back	5.00	6.17	3.83	4.33
Ease of Entry and Exit	5.17	6.67	3.83	2.83
Instrumentation
Clarity	8.00	7.67	7.17	7.50
Placement	7.17	7.17	7.00	7.83
Vehicle controls
Pedals, Size and Position	8.00	7.83	7.50	6.33
Position of Window/Seat Controls	6.67	7.33	6.17	7.67
Position of Inside Door Release	7.50	6.67	6.50	6.83
Position of Automatic Door Lock Switch	7.83	7.67	7.17	8.17
Position of Outside Rear-View Mirror Controls	6.67	8.00	7.50	6.67
Steering Wheel, Size/Tilt Release/Surface	7.17	6.17	7.17	7.50
Heater/AC Vent Placement and Adjustability	7.67	7.67	7.17	7.67
Auxiliary Dome/Map Light Placement/Visibility	6.83	4.67	5.00	6.83
Visibility
Front	8.00	8.17	6.67	7.17
Rear	6.83	7.33	6.33	7.17
Left Rear Quarter	7.17	6.67	6.17	6.67
Right Rear Quarter	7.17	6.67	6.17	6.67
Outside Rear-View Mirrors	7.00	7.00	6.33	5.67
Communications
Dash Accessibility	7.75	6.00	4.25	4.25
Trunk Accessibility	7.60	6.80	5.20	5.60
Engine Accessibility	9.33	2.00	1.33	2.00
Total	209.85	206.13	177.45	188.35

Added up as printed, the Crown Victoria’s items come to 206.17, not 206.13, and the Taurus’s and Mustang’s to 0.01 more than printed. Each item is an average rounded to two places. Every ergonomics score is a whole number of sixths, as the average of six ratings would be (an inference; the book says only “a minimum of four officers”). Added as unrounded sixths, with the communications items as quarters, fifths and thirds, all four columns give the printed totals exactly. The front-seat item the 1986 bulletin calls “Split bench design” is “Bucket Seat Design” here; the 1990 specification asks for bucket seats.

Hardware: horsepower, axle ratios, test weights

Source: informational hardware descriptions, pages 8–15 (PDF 304–311), which agree with the summary pages 16–18 in every figure. Horsepower is SAE net. Test weight is as printed. Transmission model numbers are as printed; the five-speed Mustang’s reads “REP-ATI” (the last character could be read as a 1).
Car	HP (SAE net)	at rpm	Torque (lb-ft @ rpm)	Compression	Axle ratio	Test weight (lb)	Transmission	Tires	Wheelbase (in)	Length (in)	Brakes, front / rear
Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI	190	4,400	290 @ 2,400	9.8:1	3.42	3,893	4-speed automatic (4L60)	P225/70HR15	116.0	212.2	disc / drum
Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV	180	3,600	285 @ 2,400	8.3:1	2.73	4,152	4-speed automatic (PKA-AS)	P225/70HR15	114.3	211.0	disc / drum
Chevrolet Caprice 5.0L-TBI	170	4,400	255 @ 2,400	9.3:1	3.08	3,958	4-speed automatic (200 4R)	P225/70HR15	116.0	212.2	disc / drum
Ford Crown Victoria 5.0L-PFI	160	3,400	280 @ 2,200	8.9:1	3.08	3,899	4-speed automatic (PKA-CN)	P225/70HR15	114.3	211.0	disc / drum
Chevrolet Caprice 4.3L-TBI	140	4,000	225 @ 2,000	9.3:1	3.08	3,812	4-speed automatic (4L60)	P225/70HR15	116.0	212.2	disc / drum
Ford Taurus	140	3,800	215 @ 2,200	9.0:1	3.37	3,323	4-speed automatic transaxle (PNA-AE1)	P215/70HR14	106.0	188.4	disc / disc
Ford Mustang (5-speed)	225	4,200	300 @ 3,200	9.0:1	3.08	3,250	5-speed manual (REP-ATI)	P225/60VR15	100.5	179.6	disc / drum
Ford Mustang (automatic)	225	4,200	300 @ 3,200	9.0:1	2.73	3,168	4-speed automatic (PKA-DD)	P225/60VR15	100.5	179.6	disc / drum

The 5.0 Mustangs were rated at 225 horsepower, more than any sedan, and weighed 643 lb (five-speed) and 725 lb (automatic) less than the Caprice 5.7. The 5.8 Crown Victoria was the heaviest car in the test at 4,152 lb, with the tallest axle of the sedans, 2.73. The Taurus is the only car in the test with four-wheel disc brakes and front-wheel drive. The 5.7 Caprice’s 25-gallon tank held five gallons more than the 5.8 Crown Victoria’s and seven more than the 5.0’s.

How the two scored cars were ranked

The specification scores each category against its best car: “The best scoring vehicle in each test category receives a “0” as its deviation factor. The decimal equivalent of the percentage by which each of the other vehicles varies from the best scorer in that category is that vehicle’s deviation factor.” The factor is multiplied by the category weight, and the six results are added; the methodology page adds, “All mathematical computations are to be rounded to the third decimal place.” The lower total is better.

Source: raw scores page 44 and competitive evaluation page 45 (PDF 339–340). Each cell is raw score → deviation factor → weighted score, as printed. Raw scores: dynamics in seconds (the lap average), acceleration to 100 mph in seconds, braking as average deceleration in ft/s², top speed in mph, ergonomics and communications in points, fuel as city mpg to the nearest tenth. Every figure recomputes.
Car	Veh. dyn. (×30)	Accel. (×20)	Braking (×10)	Speed (×20)	Ergo./comm. (×10)	Fuel (×10)	Total weighted score
Chevrolet Caprice 5.7L-TBI	86.75 → 0 → 0	29.71 → 0 → 0	24.23 → 0 → 0	122.1 → 0 → 0	209.85 → 0 → 0	14.0 → 0 → 0	0
Ford Crown Victoria 5.8L-VV	88.58 → .021 → .630	34.02 → .145 → 2.900	22.96 → .052 → .520	121.0 → .009 → .180	206.13 → .018 → .180	13.1 → .064 → .640	5.05

Acceleration was most of the Crown Victoria’s deficit: 2.900 of its 5.05 points. Next came fuel economy (.640), where it was 0.9 mpg behind; dynamics (.630); and braking (.520). The scores would have been turned into money by the rule on page 7: “The bid adjustment figure will be one percent (1%) of the lowest bid price received”, multiplied by each car’s total and added to its bid. On the results page the columns “BID ADJ. FIGURE”, “ACTUAL DOLLAR ADJ.”, “ACTUAL BID PRICE” and “ADJ. BID PRICE” are empty. The only dollar figures in the book are in the worked example on page 43, which uses an illustrative lowest bid of $9,966.13 and a Car “A” scoring 6.480.

See the original page: the 1990 book’s competitive evaluation

Scan of the 1990 book's competitive evaluation page: raw scores, deviation factors and total weighted scores for the two scored cars — “Michigan State Police competitive patrol vehicle evaluation”. The bid columns are blank in the book. State of Michigan, Department of State Police, *1990 Police Patrol Vehicle Evaluation and Purchasing Program*, PDF page 340 of the scan (printed page 45). Open full size.

What Michigan ordered

The specification, Mich. 3905-0010 of August 1989, asks for a four-door sedan, “Model – 1990 Current New”, and names two makes, the Chevrolet Caprice and the Ford Crown Victoria, with the engine “at manufacturer’s option, providing the car will meet or exceed the vehicle performance requirements”. Test cars were due at the Motor Transport Division in Lansing “no later than 5:00 p.m., September 11, 1989”, with “One extra set of engine belts and four (4) wheels and tires” to be provided on test day; cars were to be broken in, and with brakes “burnished prior to delivery”. “Each vehicle will be subjected to six competitive and qualification tests.”

The equipment list asks for:

a 100-amp alternator with 45 amps at curb idle;
a 650 cold-cranking-amp battery;
anti-freeze to −35°F;
a heavy-duty limited-slip differential;
“Disc-type in front, drum-type in rear” brakes (“Four wheel disc brakes are acceptable”);
Quartz-Halogen headlights;
power locks “keyed alike, different key for each car”;
paint to Dulux 93-032;
the &frac18;-inch steel roof plate “to support the overhead emergency light”;
bucket seats, 45/45 or 40/40, with a six-way power seat for the driver only;
a speedometer accurate to ±3 mph, reading to at least 120;
Unity Model #225 spotlights with H7635 halogen lamps;
a tilt wheel;
Goodyear Eagle GT + 4 radials;
a “3- or 4-speed, fully automatic” transmission with low-gear lockout;
blue heavy-duty cloth or cloth-and-vinyl upholstery (“All vinyl not acceptable”);
fifteen-inch black wheels.

It closes: “NOTE: No dealer advertising to be on vehicles.”

What else this book holds

How the cars were run. “All of the vehicles are tested with a clean roof, (that is they have no overhead light or lightbar), and without spotlights. It is our belief, and has been since we began testing in 1977, that this is the best way to assure all of the cars are testing on an equal basis.” The preface also warns readers that “the best car for your agency may be a different one than we’ve identified as best for our usage.”

Who wrote it and who paid. The preface is signed by F/Lt. Curtis L. VanDenBerg, Sgt. David B. Storer and Sgt. William F. McFall. It thanks “Aspen Systems Corporation, which operates the Technology Assessment Program, and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) for their continued assistance and monetary support”. It also offers the programme’s 1988 video tape to anyone sending “a good quality blank video tape, (VHS format, at least T-30 in length)”.

The instruments. The book lists the equipment used:

Labeco and Lamar fifth wheels;
a Chronomix printing timer;
a Micro Switch photoelectric switch;
an Ammco Model 7350 decelerometer;
Bell NASCAR MC-400 helmets.

Who came to watch. Two pages list 90 out-of-state participants from 54 organisations. They include state police and highway patrols from Alabama to West Virginia, city and county departments, the U.S. Capitol Police, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. General Motors, Goodyear Tire, Aspen Systems Corporation and Warnock Fleet also sent people.

What the scan lacks. Page 21, the vehicle dynamics test facility diagram listed in the contents, is not in the file. Page 46 is scanned twice. Pages 19 and 40 are blank.

What 1990 settled

On the scoring sheet it was not close. The throttle-body Caprice 5.7 beat the variable-venturi Crown Victoria in all six categories, from the road course to fuel economy, and finished with a total of zero. What that meant in dollars the book does not say: its bid columns are blank.

Around the two scored sedans, the field was changing:

The qualification times tightened again.
The smaller Caprices and the 5.0 Crown Victoria were each outside at least one printed standard.
A front-drive Taurus out-lapped every sedan but the Caprice 5.7.
The five-speed Mustang set acceleration marks that stood in these books until the Camaros: to 60 and 100 mph until 1991, and over the quarter mile until 1992 (the 1991 bulletin prints no quarter-mile times).

Source. State of Michigan, Department of State Police and Department of Management and Budget: 1990 Police Patrol Vehicle Evaluation and Purchasing Program, prepared by the Michigan State Police Executive Division, Policy Development and Evaluation Section, September 1989. The book includes specification Mich. 3905-0010 (August 1989). Acceleration, top speed and braking were run at the Ford Motor Company’s Michigan Proving Ground on 16 September 1989; vehicle dynamics on the Michigan International Speedway road course. These are pages 291–343 of a scanned file of Michigan test books, specifications and evaluations for 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991 and 1994, which has no text layer. All figures were transcribed from the rendered pages. See how these videos are researched.