Forged in Glory at the Freedom Factory: Why the Ford Crown Vic Might Just be America’s Greatest Car

• August 30, 2024
• Story By
  Mike Garrett

While Cleetus McFarland’s fleet includes high-powered cars, trucks, planes and watercraft of all types, it’s the venerable Ford Crown Victoria sedan that’s helped put the Freedom Factory on the map. And the beloved ‘Vic has been the subject of some of Cleet’s wildest adventures and experiments.

Let’s dig in and find out what makes the Crown Vic so special to both Cleetus and American auto enthusiasts in general.

Legend of the Panther

The roots of the Crown Vics used at the Freedom Factory go back a long way. Ford’s Panther Platform, which is used by the Crown Victoria and related Lincoln and Mercury products, traces its roots back to 1978, making it one of the longest-produced platforms in the history of the American automotive industry.

The Freedom Factory Crown Vics are typically built out of second generation P71 Crown Vic Police Interceptors, but along with the Crown Vic, the Panther family also includes the earlier Ford LTD, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car.

The final Crown Vic rolled off the assembly line in September 2011. These days, Crown Vics have all but disappeared from active Police and government fleets, but enthusiasts, racers and diehard Panther platform fans are keeping the legend alive and well.

P71 101:

The most common version of the Crown Vic you’’ll see both at the Freedom Factory and in the hands of car enthusiasts is the second-generation Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, also known as the CVPI or P71.

Hard Facts:

Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor P71

Years Built: 1998-2011

Engine: 4.6 Liter SOHC Modular V8

Output: 250 horsepower, 297 pound-feet of torque (2004 and newer models)

Transmission: Four-Speed Automatic

Police Interceptor Package Upgrades: Dual exhaust system, larger capacity radiator, oil cooler, transmission cooler, heavy duty torque converter, unique transmission settings, aluminum driveshaft, shorter rear end gear and more.

What Makes the Crown Vic an Ideal Race Car?

While it’s not sexy, sleek, fast or exotic — all of the things that made the P71 Crown Vic a legendary Police car also make a it a great platform for wheel-to-wheel racing. It’s got an old-school, simple body-on frame chassis with a V8 engine and rear wheel drive. It can take a beating and keep going.

A big, heavy Crown Vic may not move like a sports car, but it also has predictable handling and limits that are easy to find. It’s a car that was built to be driven hard, accommodating for both skilled racer and novices alike.

Parts can easily be swapped and replaced from a boneyard of spares, and a Vic can take some heavy hits before it’s sent to the scrap heap. This is crucial, considering that Cleetus’ events often turn “rubbin’ is racing” into an understatement.

From Cop Car to Race Car: Transforming a Crown Vic into a Freedom Factory Racer

Cleetus and his team source most of the cars at public auctions, where they are typically purchased for around $2,000 each. From there, they are fitted with a basic, functional roll cage for driver safety, safety harnesses and window nets — and perhaps most importantly, a set of 255/50R17 Nitto NT555 G2 tires mounted on the factory steel wheels.

While the price for each finished race car varies, Cleetus estimates the average price for a fully prepped Crown Vic to be about $5,000 all-in when you consider the labor involved. Cleetus has a full-time Crown Vic mechanic on staff, and on any given day you can find as many as 100 of these cars spread across his complex.

The Marauder, King of the Panthers:

No ode to the Panther Platform is complete without a mention of the Mercury Marauder. Sold by Mercury in 2003 and 2004, the Marauder is the ultimate factory Panther Platform car and was Ford’s answer to the Chevy Impala SS of the ‘90s.

Along with a number of upgrades borrowed from the P71, the Marauder also had its SOHC 4.6 replaced by the DOHC, 32-valve 4.6 from the Mustang SVT Cobra. The Marauder made 302 horsepower (more than the Mustang GT of the time), had a limited slip differential, subtle styling upgrades, 18-inch alloy wheels and a more sport-oriented cabin.

It was only sold for those two model years, with a little over 11,000 examples being built during that time. Not surprisingly, a hot commodity among collectors today.

The Next Crown Vic?

Is there another race car platform that could replace the Crown Vic if and when the current supply dries up? So far, outside of needing to expand his buying radius, Cleetus hasn’t had any major issues sourcing cars. But it’s now been 13 years since the last Crown Vic was built. Is there a newer, better platform waiting in the wings?

 
A potential successor could be the LX platform Dodge Charger which in took the place of the Crown Vic in many Police Departments in the 2010s. Like the Crown Vic, it’s a rear-drive four-door sedan that can be had with a V8 engine and they are getting pretty cheap these days.

Unlike the Crown Vic though, the Charger is a unibody car with independent rear suspension - neither of which give it the ability to take abuse like a body-on-frame Crown Vic. And with a lot of police departments and other fleet operators switching from sedans to SUVs, the supply of Chargers is not going to be as stout or as long lasting as the ubiquitous Crown Vic. For the time being at least, we don’t see the Vics going anywhere.

America’s Most Underrated Enthusiast Car?

Mustang. Corvette. Miata. Civic. Porsche. Crown Vic? It may sound strange, but a growing number of grassroots car enthusiasts across North America have been discovering the fun and potential of the Crown Vic. Its versatility is simply unmatched. It can be a daily driver, a budget track car, and drag race platform, rally car, off-roader or just about anything else. It can even tow if you need it to.

The 4.6-liter V8 under the hood is no powerhouse out of the box, but anything you do to a Mustang V8 can be also done to the Crown Vic. This includes, heads and cams, superchargers, turbos and even engine swaps. The Panther platform itself also has a surprisingly strong aftermarket where you can find suspension and chassis upgrades, big brakes — and even complete kits to convert the automatic-only Panther to a manual transmission.

Along with the Cleetus’ Freedom Factory mayhem, some track day operators also a run spec series for street legal P71 Crown Vics. For the money, it’s hard to beat.

Going for Glory

With his Crown Vic races, Cleetus has built one of America’s most entertaining new motorsports. The sight of dozens of these cars battling it out at the Freedom Factory (or other tracks like the Bristol Motor Speedway) is something to behold. The cars might be retired cop cars that barely make 250 horsepower on a good day, but for the fans watching both in person and online, the action can be every bit as exciting as a NASCAR Cup Race.

There’s no better word to describe the action than “FUN”. And that fun factor has drawn influencers, media personalities, and pro race car drivers alike to hop behind the wheel of these former cop car heavyweights, looking for thrills and maybe a shot at glory.