Tucked away in a corner of the Chevy display at the Chicago Auto Show was a fully equipped Chevrolet Caprice PPV, the first Caprice police cruiser since the last generation of rear-drive, body-on-frame Caprice Classic was discontinued in 1996.

Available in 2011, the Caprice PPV is based on the same rear-drive platform that underpins the Camaro and the late, lamented Pontiac G8, though with a longer wheel base. Both V-8 and V-6 engines will be available, with the 6.0-liter V-8 producing 355 horsepower. Special police package equipment will include high-output alternator, engine oil, transmission and power steering coolers, 18-inch steel wheels with bolt-on center caps, heavy-duty suspension components, and police-calibrated stability control system.

The Caprice PPV will be built in Australia (as was the Pontiac G8) and will not be offered for retail sale. With the demise of the Crown Victoria next year, the timing of the Caprice’s introduction couldn’t be more appropriate. Ford is rumored to be working up a police version of the Taurus but no details of that car have been released yet.

--M.D.