Holden’s ‘Police Caprice’ export program has taken an unexpected turn.
The high-performance pursuit sedan – a special version of the Holden Caprice modified for US police – has fallen into the wrong hands.
An enterprising Chevrolet dealer in Maryland found a loophole that allowed him to sell the police-only model to the public – and there is nothing the long arm of the law can do about it. At least 13 vehicles are believed to have ‘escaped’ the government-only net.
General Motors lawyers have since changed the wording of the contract it has with dealers, to ensure it doesn’t happen again. But GM cannot call back the vehicles – certain to become collector items – already distributed to the dealer, Criswell Chevrolet of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
At least seven of the 13 escaped police cars are already in civilian-customer hands, with one owner boasting about his purchase on the GM Inside News website.
Of course, all police cars eventually are sold to the public – but not until they are well past their prime. Holden spokeswoman Andrea Matthews told Motoring.com.au the retail sales were the result of a dealer exploiting a loophole rather than a sign of desperation in the wake of the car’s slow take-up rate by police forces across North America.
The list prices range from $31,000 to $37,000 – about half the cost of the car in Australia, and half the cost of GM’s next most expensive rear-drive, V8 sedan, the $67,000 Cadillac CTS-V.
“We always knew [the police car export program] would get off to slow start,” said Matthews. “Police agencies have an assessment period and then a tender process and then they go through a phase where they buy cars at certain times of year. It’s not like a normal retail [car] that sells throughout the year.”
Chevrolet and Holden are still to publish sales of the police car. Some bloggers have already queried whether the dealer move was a deliberate ploy by GM to test the market – GM has said it would consider a civilian version of the police car in the years to come if there was enough demand. But GM strongly denies this conspiracy theory.
A statement from Chevrolet in North America said: “We understand the interest in this best in class and uniquely equipped sedan. However, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV was specifically designed for law enforcement applications and is classified as a fleet vehicle for sale to qualified police and government customers only, not for retail sale. We appreciate our Chevrolet dealers adhering to the intent of this vehicle and we are in the process of clarifying any misunderstanding.”
The Caprice is Chevrolet’s big hope of taking some of the police-car business away from Ford when production of the Crown Victoria ends later this year.
Picture courtesy of Jim Ellis Chevrolet
Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...