1997 Ford P71 Interceptor - Fat Mike's Towing

[Chuck Most]

When you call Fat Mike's Towing, and you don't need a tow but rather a jump start or lockout service, you are likely to see an old pale blue Ford sedan done up like a quasi police car arrive on scene.

That car is, in fact, a 1997 Ford P71 Interceptor. It was an Ashley Village Police cruiser (unit A3 to be exact) until 2002, when "Fat Mike" Agosti bought it. At that time it had 150,000 miles and Mike got it for $500. Being a good pal of the Ashley police chief has a few perks. It still had the push bar and spotlights, as well as the rear seat partition. Mike kept the partition but removed the Plexiglas, replaced the front red and blue strobes with amber lenses, and strapped on an old Federal Signal Twinsonic light bar. Yes, it's functional. So is the siren. 

For the last 22 years, the old Vic has served faithfully, having racked up nearly 400,000 miles over it's near three decade life. Along the way it's been repainted (again, most recently in 2015), has had an engine and transmission rebuild, has had it's rear quarter panels replaced, has been maintained religiously, going above and beyond what the Ford factory guidelines say, and has responded to hundreds, if not thousands, of situations. These situations of course include the aforementioned jumps and lockouts, but it's also been pressed into service to ferry stranded motorists. Sometimes the passengers displaced in an accident outnumber the available seats in the wrecker, and the Crown Vic is brought in so everyone has a ride if needed.

In 2008, this car's replacement came up for sale. But the '97 proved so reliable that Mike opted not to replace the car with the 2003 model Ashley Unit A3. Sadly, Fat Mike wasn't around by the time the 2008 A3 was available, but by then the '97 was so intertwined with the business's image, the thought of replacing the it wasn't even considered.

In the summer of 2024, the old cruiser was treated to an appearance upgrade, when it was fitted with a set of wheels from a 2014 Mustang GT. It was mainly a matter of the car needing new tires and Fat Mike's grandson, Mike Slaughter, having a nearly new set of tires on his Mustang when he did an aftermarket wheel swap. Prior to this he car had worn a set of Cragar S/S wheels in the summer (starting in 2010 or so), reverting to the factory steel wheels in winter. 

And the car serves another, somewhat less "practical" purpose for Fat Mike's Towing... The car is something of a mascot. The entire fleet of Fat Mike's Towing consists of blue Fords, but this particular blue Ford stands apart from the rest. Everybody in Gratiot and surrounding counties has seen the "old baby blue cop car" with the Fat Mike's logo out and about. And it's going to keep on being visible for the company for the foreseeable future.

The kit is the Lindberg Ohio State Police cruiser, built out of the box with the exception of the light bar (AMT parts pack), wheels and tires (Revell '14 Mustang GT), brake rotors (parts box), and decals (Gopher Racing). I think the paint is Tamiya French Blue but don't hold me to that. I painted this a while ago and all I remember is it's sanded to expose gray primer and covered in Revell flat clear coat. I wanted the look of a car that was well cared for but certainly showing it's age.

[espo]

Like the back store on your build. Looking at the finish and the wheels and tires you can visualize the story. 

[XYHARRY]

Cool story, nice build. Well done Chuck. 

Cheers, 

David. ??

[ncbuckeye67]

Great story for an excellent build!

[slusher]

Great build great story!

[karbuildr]

Outstanding Crown Vic. I don't know which I like better, the car or the back story.

[BK9300]

A very visual story line!  And a great car, too.

[mrm]

I'm surprising myself, but I'm going to say that's a beautiful looking cruiser Vic. 

[PappyD340]

Great looking Crown Vic!