Cheers guys.
MMD, I was talking with Wayne and Damo, and the power figure is pretty much identical to the late model EL XR8 and early AU XR8 of the same period of time. However, it didn't really increase much over the following years which is why it's not even close to the performance of the Caprice PPV. I've not driven it much as it's a bit tricky to do so legally, but in future I will figure something out so I don't have to tow it. I didn't know about the ''stab plate" but most of these cars had a partition behind the back seats. Mine still has the screw-holes in the B pillar where it used to be.
G'day Ash, would have been great to catch up. Maybe next time, as I'm planning on hanging around a lot more. I'm not sure exactly how much is original, but I'm pretty sure there were no strobe lights in '98, and the roof lights are a late model item too. But overall it's certainly the real deal. Less than 100,000 miles too (Kilometres? What's that?).
It's been a very interesting experience. It wasn't exactly the reason I bought it (I was a huge fan of many cop shows as a kid including NYPD Blue, Law & Order, the X Files and others so it's more of a childhood dream) but the amount of attention the car generally receives can be likened to that of a celebrity. Some people come out of their houses and stop on the streets, people take candid photos, people laugh and talk about old movies.
And for all that, some of the comments from the Crown Vic forums include:
"Whats the other car?"
"other car looks like a holden of some sort"
"The other car is a Holden Caprice, which is awesome I might add
"
"Love the Holden"
I'm still trying to figure out the moral of the story.
Cheers guys.
