Ford
Mustang SSP (1982 model year)

Why it matters

The Special Service Package (SSP) Mustang was Ford's 1982 move to sell a police pursuit car built on the LX coupe. It was smaller and, with the 5.0-litre High Output V8, quicker than the full-size sedans then used by police fleets. The California Highway Patrol was the first agency to use it, and the type stayed in production until 1993.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Ford Mustang SSP (1982 model year) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Sicnag · CC BY 2.0
• Ford Mustang SSP (1982 model year) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Sicnag · CC BY 2.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The first SSP Mustangs, of the 1982 model year, went to the California Highway Patrol. The registry credits Jim Dingell of Production Parts Inc. with confirming that 406 cars were ordered for the CHP in 1982, spread over two special order numbers (DSOs) and all of them coupes. The registry's usage table carries 400 for that year and notes that this includes five 1982 hatchbacks that may not have been true SS Package cars, and excludes one CHP prototype car.

SSP production ended in 1993, by which time roughly 15,000 had been built; the registry's own estimate of 15,000 is explicitly marked as not verified. Besides state police and highway patrols, federal users included the US Air Force, which ordered 19 for chasing U-2 aircraft between 1986 and 1991.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Police-specific equipment on SSP Mustangs included single-key locking for doors, ignition and trunk, a calibrated speedometer, a full-size spare, radio noise suppression, silicone radiator and heater hoses and a relocated decklid release. The registry verifies individual cars through Ford Direct Special Order (DSO) paperwork, order copies, buck tags and VC labels, and treats the 1982 hatchbacks in the original CHP order as doubtful SSP cars.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   SSP vehicle usage by state (Special Service Mustang usage by State Police, Highway Patrol and Federal Agencies) Level B Charles Ricks · sspmustang.org (Special Service Package Mustang registry) · 2012-07-21

   • 406 cars ordered for CHP in 1982, all cars being coupes

   Accessed 2026-11-13
2. 2
   Hagerty – Your handy 1979–93 Ford Mustang (Fox-body) buyer's guide Level C

   • 406 1982 SSP Mustangs made

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1988 Ford SSP Mustang - U-2 Chaser Level C Jim Smart · MotorTrend · 2013-11-01

   • 5.0L High Output V-8

   Accessed 2026-11-13