North Carolina State Highway Patrol Getting Ford Mustang GTs

With the Ford Mustang GT being the last of the V8-powered muscle cars on the market, we knew it was only a matter of time before they started getting scooped up by law enforcement. Sure enough, North Carolina State Highway Patrol recently announced 20 of these ponies will be added to its fleet “in the coming months.”

This means drivers traveling through North Carolina will be wanting to memorize the headlight pattern for Mustangs. The taillights are easy since there's nothing quite like them, but we know many people pride themselves in knowing Dodge Charger and Ford Explorer headlights from even far away.

Each of the 2024 Ford Mustang GTs will be wearing the telltale silver and black color scheme, so these aren't unmarked vehicles, at least for now. We know in some other states like Florida ghost graphics or none at all grace Mustangs used to catch speeders and reckless/distracted drivers.

The law enforcement agency says it has been using Mustangs for patrol since the 1980s, so this in a way is a return to form. As the saying goes, there's nothing new under the sun, just derivations of what's already been done.

Before anyone gets all worked up over taxpayer dollars going toward the purchase of flashy muscle cars, NCSHP says the cost of the Mustang GTs is “comparable to other vehicles currently deployed” in its fleet.

Since the cars don't have to be outfitted for carrying suspects, seeing that they don't have a set of rear doors, that helps cut down on upfit costs. However, the wheels and rear wing indicate the Mustang GT shown has the GT Performance Package added, something we're assuming they will all feature.

Plus, mixing up what's in the fleet will keep those who like violating highway rules on their toes. That isn't necessarily a bad thing.

This article originally appeared on The Auto Wire. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News. Republished with permission.

READ NEXT: Blue State Proves Ivy Leagues Could Have Easily Crushed Antisemitism