Michigan test archive

1981 Michigan State Police Patrol Vehicle Test

Five full-size sedans, four mid-size V8s, two sixes — and one Buick that couldn’t reach 100 mph.

The 1981 book calls itself “the third in a series of publications” presenting police patrol vehicle test results, the first of which covered the 1979 model year; the IACP’s Technology Assessment Program Information Center reproduced it for interested police departments. (The earliest Michigan book held here is the 1978 one.) Buick entered the full-size class with a LeSabre carrying a 125-horsepower 252 four-barrel — and it never reached 100 mph at all. It topped out at 97.1 mph and does not appear in the book’s competitive tables, though the book never names it as eliminated.

The acceleration and top speed runs were made at Chrysler’s proving grounds on 25 October 1980, in temperatures of 34–38 °F with winds up to 18 mph. The twelve dynamics laps ran on the 1.635-mile Michigan International Speedway road course — three drivers, four laps each.

Two oddities from the book itself: all mid-size acceleration runs were made on a wet track (the testers judged the effect insignificant for comparison), and the Chevrolet Malibu submitted was actually a 1979 body with the 1981 drivetrain and suspension fitted — Chevrolet’s roofline had changed, and the book plainly tells readers to use their own judgment about whether the aerodynamics carried over.

The 1981 qualification bar. To stay in the bid, a car had to reach 60 mph in 14.5 seconds or less, 80 mph in 26.0, and 100 mph in 48.5 — and hit 105 mph within 3 miles. Fail any one, and the price didn’t matter.

Full-size results

Source: Michigan State Police, 1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing. Acceleration and quarter-mile figures are four-run averages; dynamics is the average of 12 timed laps.
Car	Engine	0–60 (s)	¼-mile (s @ mph)	0–100 (s)	Top speed (mph)	Miles to 105 mph	Dynamics (s)
Chevrolet Impala	350-4V	11.93	18.95 @ 75.0	39.98	113.8	0.99	90.72
Dodge St. Regis	318-4V	13.14	19.63 @ 74.5	45.72	114.7	1.08	93.93
Ford LTD	351 H.O.-VV	12.76	19.35 @ 74.75	42.16	116.4	1.00	92.40
Plymouth Gran Fury	318-4V	12.76	19.40 @ 75.25	42.22	115.1	0.98	93.60
Buick LeSabre	252-4V	17.51	21.88 @ 66.25	—	97.1	n/a	98.48

Gold row: lowest adjusted bid in class. The LeSabre missed the 0–60 and 0–80 requirements (17.51 and 36.26 seconds against 14.5 and 26.0) and never attained 100 or 105 mph. It ran its twelve dynamics laps, which the book prints (Table 2), but it does not appear in the book’s competitive evaluation table.

Mid-size results

Source: Michigan State Police, 1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing. All mid-size acceleration and top speed runs were conducted on a wet track, per the book’s preface. The book says the two six-cylinder cars “were also evaluated”: it prints no requirement times, laps, braking or scores for them, and says the Technology Assessment Program Information Center gave Michigan “a small contract to help defray the additional cost” of testing them.
Car	Engine	0–60 (s)	¼-mile (s @ mph)	0–100 (s)	Top speed (mph)	Miles to 105 mph	Dynamics (s)
Chevrolet Malibu	350-4V	11.42	18.15 @ 74.75	40.27	111.9	1.19	90.37
Chrysler LeBaron	318-4V	12.86	18.90 @ 73.5	45.24	114.7	1.11	92.54
Dodge Diplomat	318-4V	12.84	19.38 @ 75.5	42.71	116.3	1.10	91.98
Ford Fairmont	255-2V	13.63	19.68 @ 71.0	1:05.79	106.4	4.60	93.50
Chrysler LeBaron (6-cyl)	225-1V	21.06	22.80 @ 61.75	—	92.5	n/a	—
Ford Fairmont (6-cyl)	200-1V	18.77	21.78 @ 63.5	—	92.3	n/a	—

The Fairmont 255 missed the 0–80 and 0–100 requirements (27.15 and 65.79 seconds against 26.0 and 48.5) and needed 4.60 miles to reach 105 mph against the three allowed. It ran its twelve laps (Table 2) but does not appear in the book’s mid-size competitive evaluation table. Neither six-cylinder car ever reached 100 mph.

Complete acceleration data — every 10-mph increment, all eleven cars

Full-size cars. Four-run averages in seconds, from the book’s Appendix C strip-chart data.
0 to…	LeSabre 252	Impala 350	St. Regis 318	LTD 351	Gran Fury 318
20 mph	3.76	2.60	3.16	2.93	3.16
30 mph	6.11	4.34	5.13	4.78	5.06
40 mph	8.94	6.21	7.19	6.77	7.11
50 mph	12.81	8.71	9.72	9.46	9.48
60 mph	17.51	11.93	13.14	12.76	12.76
70 mph	25.10	15.68	17.24	16.77	16.72
80 mph	36.26	21.35	22.83	22.24	21.77
90 mph	54.69	28.74	32.79	30.32	30.30
100 mph	—	39.98	45.72	42.16	42.22

Mid-size cars, wet track. Times over one minute shown as m:ss.
0 to…	Malibu 350	LeBaron 318	Diplomat 318	Fairmont 255	LeBaron 225	Fairmont 200
20 mph	2.54	3.11	3.15	3.03	3.99	3.42
30 mph	4.41	5.01	5.14	4.97	6.50	5.84
40 mph	6.11	6.92	7.08	7.12	10.04	8.71
50 mph	8.40	9.32	9.42	9.94	14.69	13.00
60 mph	11.42	12.86	12.84	13.63	21.06	18.77
70 mph	15.28	16.71	16.68	18.61	31.68	28.25
80 mph	20.86	23.07	22.38	27.15	52.80	49.30
90 mph	28.19	31.98	30.74	39.09	2:56.75	2:30.90
100 mph	40.27	45.24	42.71	1:05.79	—	—

The book itself notes why quarter-mile time and trap speed don’t rank the same way: cars accelerate unevenly. The Fairmont 255 reached 70 mph in 18.61 seconds having already covered nearly 1,200 feet, crossing the quarter at 71 mph — while the Diplomat hit 70 in 16.68 seconds within about 1,000 feet and kept pulling to 75.5 mph at the line.

See the original page: Tables 3 and 4 in the 1981 book

Scan of Tables 3 and 4 from the 1981 Michigan State Police test book: acceleration, top speed and quarter-mile figures for five full-size and six mid-size cars — “Summary of acceleration and top speed”: Table 3, full size vehicles, and Table 4, mid size vehicles. Michigan State Police, *1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing*, PDF page 9 of the scan (printed page 10). Open full size.

Brakes, fuel economy, ergonomics

Source: Michigan State Police, 1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing. Each 60–0 stop is an impending-skid stop made immediately after four controlled 90–0 heat-up stops; Phase II repeats the sequence after a four-minute cool-down. EPA city figures are those used in the scoring, to 0.1 mpg.
Car	60–0 Phase I (ft)	60–0 Phase II (ft)	Avg decel (ft/s²)	EPA city (mpg)	Ergonomics (pts)
Full-size
Chevrolet Impala 350	148.6	148.7	26.62	14.7*	193.94
Plymouth Gran Fury 318	160.9	161.0	25.15	15.5	193.83
Buick LeSabre 252	161.9	165.8	23.87	18.5	186.87
Dodge St. Regis 318	165.5	167.7	23.67	15.5	193.58
Ford LTD 351	172.2	166.2	23.35	15.3*	189.24
Mid-size
Ford Fairmont 255	146.1	164.8	25.02	18.1	163.09
Chevrolet Malibu 350	148.2	156.8	25.71	14.7*	187.55
Chrysler LeBaron 318	152.5	154.1	26.02	15.5	192.30
Dodge Diplomat 318	160.2	155.4	24.63	15.5	192.30
Chrysler LeBaron (6-cyl)	—	—	—	17.9	—
Ford Fairmont (6-cyl)	—	—	—	19.8	—

* Manufacturer’s figure as submitted to the EPA — the official EPA number was unavailable when the book went to print. All cars also passed a full four-wheel-lock panic stop from 60 mph within their own lane. The LeBaron and Diplomat ergonomics totals are identical as printed; Table 1 gives the two cars the same length, wheelbase, head and leg room, and interior volumes within a cubic foot. The book prints no braking or ergonomics figures for the two six-cylinder cars; their EPA city figures are from its Table 9.

See the original page: Tables 5 and 6 in the 1981 book

Scan of Tables 5 and 6 from the 1981 Michigan State Police test book: Phase I and Phase II brake testing for the full-size and mid-size cars — Table 5, “Brake Testing, Full-Size Vehicles”, and Table 6, “Brake Testing, Mid-Size Vehicles”. Michigan State Police, *1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing*, PDF page 10 of the scan (printed page 12). Open full size.

Hardware: horsepower, axle ratios, test weights

From the book’s Table 1, which it says was compiled from manufacturer brochures. Test weight is the table’s “Weight Test” line; the book does not say what it includes.
Car	HP (SAE net)	Axle ratio	Test weight (lb)	Overdrive
Buick LeSabre 252	125	3.23	3,834	No
Chevrolet Impala 350	165†	3.08	3,927	No
Dodge St. Regis 318	165	2.94	4,086	No
Ford LTD 351	165	2.73	4,060	Yes (AOD)
Plymouth Gran Fury 318	165	2.94	4,090	No
Chevrolet Malibu 350	165†	2.73	3,579	No
Chrysler LeBaron 318	165	2.94	3,856	No
Dodge Diplomat 318	165	2.94	3,851	No
Ford Fairmont 255	115	2.73	3,156	No
Chrysler LeBaron (6-cyl)	85	2.94	3,694	No
Ford Fairmont (6-cyl)	88	2.73	2,944	No

† Chevrolet’s 1981 ratings were not yet published when the book went to print; the figures are the book’s estimates based on the 1980 engines. The LTD was the only car in the test with an overdrive automatic, dual exhaust and a variable-venturi carburetor, and its 116.4 mph was the highest top speed in this test.

The money: bids before and after adjustment

Michigan’s system let performance move the price. Each car’s scores were weighted — 25% dynamics, 25% fuel economy, 15% acceleration, 15% top speed, 10% brakes, 10% ergonomics. The book states the policy as paying “as much as five percent more” than the average bid for a car that scores well; in practice each car’s total weighted score was multiplied by five percent of its class’s median bid ($380.44 full-size, $383.51 mid-size; the full-size table’s footnote nonetheless prints the mid-size median, $7,670.10) and taken off its actual bid, so a below-average score raised it. The book explains two of the weights: vehicle dynamics is “a critical performance characteristic”, and fuel consumption “a major consideration for any police department”. In the end the math changed nothing: the cheapest cars also scored well enough to stay cheapest.

Source: Michigan State Police, 1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing, competitive evaluation tables. Marked units, F.O.B. East Lansing.
Car	Class	Actual bid	Adjusted bid
Plymouth Gran Fury 318	Full-size	$7,568.84	$7,516.74
Chevrolet Impala 350	Full-size	$7,626.68	$7,560.90
Dodge St. Regis 318	Full-size	$7,591.05	$7,733.54
Ford LTD 351	Full-size	$8,342.66	$8,318.05
Chevrolet Malibu 350	Mid-size	$7,483.61	$7,531.48
Dodge Diplomat 318	Mid-size	$7,693.10	$7,623.55
Chrysler LeBaron 318	Mid-size	$7,670.10	$7,691.79

See the original pages: Tables 10 and 11 in the 1981 book

Scan of Table 10 from the 1981 Michigan State Police test book: competitive evaluation of the four full-size cars, with scores, weighted scores, bid adjustments and adjusted bids — Table 10, “Michigan State Police Competitive Patrol Vehicle Evaluation, Full Size Vehicles”. Michigan State Police, *1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing*, PDF page 15 of the scan (printed page 20). Open full size.

Scan of Table 11 from the 1981 Michigan State Police test book: competitive evaluation of the three mid-size cars, with scores, weighted scores, bid adjustments and adjusted bids — Table 11, “Michigan State Police Competitive Patrol Vehicle Evaluation, Mid-Size Vehicles”. Michigan State Police, *1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing*, PDF page 16 of the scan (printed page 21). Open full size.

What Michigan’s specification called for

The bid specification in the back of the book (Appendix A, dated 1 September 1980) describes the car a collector would hope to find today. It called for a ⅛-inch steel plate, ten inches wide, welded under the roof panel, with a hole drilled through roof and plate and at least three wires run down the inside of the corner post. Unity #225-6 six-inch spotlights with aircraft landing lamps, left- and right-hand, on the pillar or another approved mount, individually fused. The speedometer had to be calibrated to within ±3 mph, in 2-mph increments, with a scale to at least 120.

Beneath: a limited-slip differential, the largest cooling system available, an 80-amp alternator and a 465 cold-cranking-amp battery, on Goodyear rayon police radials to the state’s own tire specification. Inside: a heavy-duty split bench, “60-40 preferable, or 50-50 acceptable”, in cloth or cloth and vinyl (blue) — all-vinyl was explicitly not acceptable — rubber floor mats, and armrests without ash trays or with the ash tray made inoperable. Paint to Dulux 93-032. If you’re checking whether a survivor is genuine, this specification is a list to check it against — see how to identify a genuine police package car and the police package option codes guide.

What 1981 settled

The Ford LTD’s 116.4 mph was the highest top speed in this test — by one tenth of a mile per hour over the mid-size Dodge Diplomat, whose bid was $650 lower. The first document held in which a Diplomat has the adjusted low bid is the 1985 scoring sheet.

The Plymouth Gran Fury posted the lowest adjusted full-size bid and the Chevrolet Malibu the lowest mid-size bid. The Buick LeSabre had the best EPA city figure of the full-size field, 18.5 mpg, and was the only full-size car that never reached 100 mph, topping out at 97.1.

Source. Michigan State Police, 1981 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing, East Lansing, Michigan; reprinted by the Technology Assessment Program Information Center, International Association of Chiefs of Police, November 1980. All figures transcribed directly from the book. Read the official record at the DOJ virtual library, and see how these videos are researched.