Michigan test archive
1981 Michigan State Police Patrol Vehicle Test
Five full-size sedans, four mid-size V8s, two reluctant sixes — and one Buick that couldn’t reach 100 mph.
The 1981 test was only the third the Michigan State Police published for the whole country to read, and it caught the American police car at a strange moment. Emissions rules had already strangled the engines; the downsizing wave was breaking. 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 was eliminated on the spot.
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.
Full-size results
| 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 | — |
Gold row: lowest adjusted bid in class. The LeSabre failed the acceleration requirement and never attained 100 mph; it does not appear in the book’s competitive evaluation table, so no dynamics score was published for it.
Mid-size results
| 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 | — |
| 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 requirement (27.15 seconds against a 26.0 limit) and needed 4.60 miles to reach 105 mph, so it fell out of the bid. Neither six-cylinder car ever reached 100 mph.
Complete acceleration data — every 10-mph increment, all eleven cars
| 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 |
| 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.
Brakes, fuel economy, ergonomics
| 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 |
* 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 — the two cars shared their body and interior.
Hardware: horsepower, axle ratios, test weights
| 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 225 | 85 | 2.94 | 3,694 | No |
| Ford Fairmont 200 | 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 — which is how a 2.73-geared, 4,060-pound sedan ended up fastest of the year.
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 — and converted into a bid adjustment worth up to 5% of the average bid. That fuel economy counted as much as pursuit handling, two years after the second oil shock, tells you what 1981 looked like from a fleet manager’s chair. In the end the math changed nothing: the cheapest cars also scored well enough to stay cheapest.
| 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 |
What Michigan ordered
The bid specification in the back of the book describes the car a collector would hope to find today. Every 1981 Michigan patrol car was ordered with a ⅛-inch steel plate, ten inches wide, welded under the roof panel — drilled and pre-wired down the corner post so the car left the factory ready for its rotating beacon. Unity #225-6 six-inch spotlights with aircraft landing lamps sat on both pillars, individually fused. The speedometer had to be certified to ±3 mph, in 2-mph increments, reading 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 60-40 split bench in blue cloth — all-vinyl was explicitly not acceptable — rubber floor mats, and armrest ash trays ordered made inoperable. Paint to Dulux 93-032. If you’re checking whether a survivor is genuine, this is the equipment 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 fastest police car in America that year was the Ford LTD at 116.4 mph — by one tenth of a mile per hour over a mid-size car costing $650 less. The Dodge Diplomat’s 116.3 mph was the quiet headline of the test: the downsized M-body matching the biggest full-size entry, two years before it started winning its class outright.
The Plymouth Gran Fury posted the lowest adjusted full-size bid and the Chevrolet Malibu the lowest mid-size bid. The Buick LeSabre managed the best fuel economy of the full-size field and still proved the point of the whole program: its 97.1 mph stands as a plain marker of where the malaise era had dragged the American sedan.