Bradenton To Auction Its Last Crown Victoria Police Cruiser

BRADENTON, FL — “It’s the end of an era” for the Bradenton Police Department, the agency shared in a Facebook post.

The department’s last, operating Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is heading to auction.

“If you've got a hankering for restoring this 2010 gem to her original beauty, or if you're making a low-budget cop show circa the turn of the century, she'll be available for bidding in the near future,” Bradenton police wrote.

Capt. Brian Thiers told Patch that the department’s current fleet is a mix of Ford Explorers, Chevy Tahoes, Dodge Chargers, Ford Taurus and Chevy Caprice.

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“When the Crown Vic was no longer made, we have tried all available options in an attempt to have the most versatile police car available,” he said. “From this point forward, we will be moving to mainly SUVs for patrol purposes. Room for gear storage, higher water capability, and passenger room have led to this decision.”

The original Ford Crown Victoria was first produced for the public in the 1955, the World History Project said. It then made a comeback in the 1970s, according to Autopedia.

In the early 1990s, the Crown Victoria became widely used by law enforcement departments throughout the United States and Canada for more than a decade “because the conventional rear-wheel drive, V8 power, and body-on-frame construction are advantageous for police use,” according to the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum.

“The CVPI's body-on-frame construction allowed inexpensive repairs after accidents without the need to straighten the chassis. Rear-wheel drive made the car easier to avoid spinouts during hard maneuvers than front drive rivals and allowed it to better withstand rough driving over curbs and other obstacles in the urban environment," the museum said.

The Crown Victoria was restyled in 1998 for a less aerodynamic look to both its front and rear ends, and in 1999, the name Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was introduced, the museum said. There were minor redesigns in the years that followed.

The model was discontinued in 2011 and the last one produced in 2012, Money Inc. reported. Part of the reasoning behind this was the Crown Victoria’s size and the amount of gas it used.

The 2008 recession also played a role in Ford’s decision to discontinue the popular police cruises, according to reports.