North Carolina Highway Patrol’s new Mustangs spark heated debate

North Carolina’s Highway Patrol recently announced via X that it had added Ford Mustangs to the fleet, following years of using Dodge Chargers, Challengers, and Chevy Camaros.

The sleek and modernized fleet has just arrived, and to celebrate, the highway patrol is comparing its current fleet with its fleet from 1929 – almost 100 years ago.

Back then, the police officers rode motorbikes.

The North Carolinian public had lots to say about the new cars when they were revealed online, with many complaining about their tax dollars being poorly spent.

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North Carolina’s Highway Patrol and its new and improved fleet

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol spent years using classic American muscle cars like Dodge Chargers and Challengers, or even Chevy Camaros.

Now, though, the department is blasting into the future with its brand new Ford Mustang GT Coupes.

A fleet of 25 new cars is hitting the highways, less than 12 months after their announcement in April 2024.

And they’ll be keeping the roads of North Carolina safe, following a longstanding heritage of law enforcement using Mustangs.

All 25 come equipped with the GT performance package, including 10-speed automatic transmission and Ford’s 5-liter V8 motor.

This month @NCSHP commemorated our official release of new Ford Mustang cruisers for statewide patrol coverage. Governor Josh Stein joined Colonel Freddy Johnson Jr. at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh to recreate an iconic image from 1929 showcasing the original @NCSHP members. pic.twitter.com/bJecBTvpQT

— NC Highway Patrol (@NCSHP) February 21, 2025

The automatic transmission certainly deviates from traditional muscle car fashion.

But as they’re being used to chase down perps and not take part in a drag race, it’s no surprise that officers don’t want to waste time shifting gears.

New and improved emergency vehicles are always exciting. But these new Mustangs could also be great publicity for the Highway Patrol fleet.

At least they would be, if only social media’s reaction wasn’t so…lukewarm.

The public’s reaction to the Ford Mustangs

In a post on X by the highway patrol’s account, they announced the new fleet with a picture of the Mustangs all lined up at a special commencement ceremony held at Raleigh State Fairgrounds.

The public had a lot to say about the post.

The photo recreates a legendary one from 1929.

Back then members of the highway patrol lined up with their motorbikes in the exact same spot.

At the time, the Mustang was barely a twinkle in Henry Ford’s eye – his first cars were still 35 years away from production.

The coupe maxes out at 155MPH and does from 0-60MOH in just 4 seconds, but, that wasn’t good enough for one commenter who declared that the Mustangs are ‘not fast, [they’re] lame!’

Another commenter bragged about his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the fastest muscle car., even claiming that the highway patrol ‘still can’t catch me’.

One commenter was left bemused by the highway patrol’s need for muscle cars at all, calling them ‘glorified meter maids’.

This news comes after the Michigan State Police’s announcement that they’ll be using 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E EVs as their patrol cars.

North Carolina’s Highway Patrol still has a long way to go before the public takes an interest in their Mustangs.

But hopefully, when they see the pure power of the American muscle cars, they’ll fall in love.