The direct descendant of the 1969 Dodge Charger that Bo and Luke used to tear up the back roads of Hazzard County is poised to do the same on the boulevards of New York.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced Monday the department would be testing 15 flashy new 2006 Dodge Chargers on regular patrols, giving the NYPD a new top speed of 150 mph. The cars go from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds and stop much faster than NYPD's current fleet of Chevrolet Impalas and Ford Crown Victorias, which max out at 110 mph.
They also get better gas mileage than the Crown Vic.
“We're looking to diversify,” said Kelly, who suggested the new cars would be ordered by the hundreds to supplement the 3,000 cars and vans that bear the NYPD insignia. The Impalas and Crown Vics will remain in service throughout the city.
The Dodge Charger is an iconic American muscle car that revved up the old “Dukes of Hazzard” TV show. Today's version packs a 340-horsepower V-8 engine with a stability control system that the driver can disable for free-wheeling, high-speed chases. The police model includes an engine oil cooler for long sprints down the highway at top speed.
The car can also operate in “stealth mode,” where all the interior lights are dimmed to look like the car is turned off.
The 2006 police model starts at about $29,000. Lights, sirens and other features can jack up the price, but bulk orders make the cars less expensive, and no other police department in the country can order in the kind of bulk that the NYPD can.
