The Story Behind California Highway Patrol's WRC-Spec Toyota Camry Patrol Car

From time to time, US police departments have seen unique cars on their fleets, joining usual suspects like the Ford Explorer or, not so long ago, the iconic Ford Crown Victoria. But perhaps none would be as cool as this Toyota Camry the California Highway Patrol (CHP) once had in the 1980s.

But what's so special about a mass-market Toyota Camry? The car may look like any other police car with the CHP livery, but the interesting bits were found under the hood. The Drive spoke with Joel Luz, the mastermind behind this police car, to give us a deeper look at the most interesting Camry copper - so interesting that it even made it to a 1989 story by The Los Angeles Times.

Luz founded America's original TRD (Toyota Racing Development) distributor, Toysport. He worked on one of the seven Camrys sold by Toyota to the CHP for testing and evaluation for police operations.

But it wasn't an ordinary Camry; it was fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 3S-GTE four-cylinder engine, the same one from the MR2 and the World Rally Championship (WRC) Celica.

Since the Camry and Celica practically shared a chassis, Luz and his team didn't have difficulty mounting the engine. He installed HKS bolt-ons, bored the CT26 Turbo, and cranked the boost from three to five psi. The exact performance figures were unknown, but Luz estimated around 280 to 300 horsepower.

Other specs include a five-speed manual transmission, an All-Trac full-time four-wheel drive system, limited-slip differentials for the front and rear, TRD/TTE rally suspension, larger 15-inch steel wheels, Goodyear police tires, and Recaro police seats. It was practically a rally race car with sirens, blinkers, and black and white livery.

The details about the test program are scarce. Luz heard the program ran for a year or two with the rest of the Camrys he developed. Unfortunately, the turbocharged Camry's whereabouts were unknown, probably destroyed. With police fleets predominantly American-made, those badass Camrys would have diversified the lineup.

"It was probably crushed with all the good parts in it," said Luz. "Those were the fun times. We could get away with almost anything."