Your Ideal Car Chase Vehicle

If you had to get away from the bad guys, what would you want to be driving?

Obviously there are many facets to this question and the answer is likely to be different depending on the setting. Jason Bourne has shown us that a Mini is an efficient way to outrun the rozzers in a euro city but what if you had to make a getaway in American suburbia, NY City or on the interstate in the middle of midwestern farm country?

This is the kind of thing I think about when I'm bored in traffic.

My choice. Enough torque to get out of its own way. Curb hopping ability. Shorter wheelbase equals maneuverability. Can be had with a manual. Maybe a bit tippy around corners though... hmm.

Dual sport motorcycle, I think about this in traffic too!

Hate to say it but as long as it lasted long enough to get me out probably anything with an STI badge.

A dualsport is best if bikes are allowed.

For a car, I'll give the same answer as my ideal modern bootlegger car, which is basically a 4-wheeled dualsport: A rally car, specifically a GC 2.5RS with the latest WRX drivetrain swapped in, visually toned down to blend into traffic, and a variable exhaust to further confuse the cops.

JtspellS wrote: Hate to say it but as long as it lasted long enough to get me out probably anything with an STI badge.

This was my first thought as well.

Armed with the M2 up top, and plenty of "goodies" inside.

Bobzilla wrote: Armed with the M2 up top, and plenty of "goodies" inside.

Every time someone leads a chase in something like this, they get stuck on something and the cops pry their way in (and always shoot the guy, but that has more to do with the kind of person who does this).

This vehicle sticks out like a sore thumb everywhere it goes (and can be spotted over traffic from long distances away), will never outrun a cop car, literally handles like an APC and is hard to hide. Best-case scenario, you might hold out long enough for the National Guard to bring out the big guns for you.

Dodge diplomat, police car.

P71. Much more inconspicuous, rugged, made for this application

Or this.

^Too specialized. Good luck making a getaway in NYC with a big offroader, it'll stand out almost as much as the APC on top of being catchable by the police cars on the street or highway.

EvanB wrote:

IMA go with this just because it looks like fun.

On the subject of an actual car chase, there's a few things you need to consider. The car is somewhat important, as it needs to be reliable, have good range, and be quick enough to put distance on the rozzers. Now, I'm not going to divulge how I know this, but at least 15 years or so ago, a really good way to lose the fuzz was to ditch into a neighborhood close to a safe garage, park your car on a lawn behind an rv, and wait for the police to pass on by, then bail for said safe garage. It is reported than an fb was used in that instance. However, it was small, gray, and stock. It had no front plate, so when the driver chose not to stop, all the cop had was small gray sports car. No plate, no driver. Unfortunately bootleg running isn't what it used to be. The police are far more connected than the old days, and brute force won't win alone. You need to know your area, your opponent, and you need to have several back up plans ready to go, because no matter what, you are not faster than a Motorola. Or so I've been told.

PopNLock wrote: Dual sport motorcycle, I think about this in traffic too!

That would be my first choice too. If you're pursued by something better off road, get it on the pavement and you'll probably have a top speed advantage. If you're at a disadvantage on pavement, you can bounce it over a curb, take off down a single track trail, bomb it up a flight of steps - it has a lot of possible ways to ditch a normal car.

I'd probably pick a Jeep Wrangler if bikes aren't allowed.

You already don't know which one is me...

mndsm wrote: Now, I'm not going to divulge how I know this, but at least 15 years or so ago, a really good way to lose the fuzz was to ditch into a neighborhood close to a safe garage, park your car on a lawn behind an rv, and wait for the police to pass on by, then bail for said safe garage.

Common knowledge, another reason to stick to a small vehicle that's easy to hide. A friend of a friend parked behind the first friend's house to lose the cops (was clocked speeding at get-permabanned-from-driving speed in a vehicle with no plates or paperwork).

Ranger pre-runner with a procharged Coyote V8 and a 6MT.

Cayenne turbo. Very fast, inconspicuous, good off road

Way back when I was younger and even dumber I had an '82 Thunderchicken and my brother had an '85 Cutlass. We each paid about $200 for our clapped out E36 M3ters and we gave zero berkeleys about their condition.

We used to play cat and mouse quite a bit and pit each other. These games continued when I bought my '86 GT and he was gifted a sweet '87 Grand Prix.

So, in short, I'd choose an old Fox body.

In reply to The_Jed:

Like this?

Yep.

captdownshift wrote: You already don't know which one is me...

You're in the minivan. I can tell because you've already thrown off the hubcap.

He said "get away from the bad guys", not the police.

Get away from just baddies? Merc gl65 amg light armored. Fast, offroadable, and can take bullets.