Police Trade Saabs for Explorers It's the end of an era. After 29 years, the Vail Police Department is replacing its signature Saab patrol cars with Ford Explorers. Police began driving Saabs in 1974 as part of a vehicle-testing program that supplied the department with two orange-colored vehicles every six months for a lease price of $1. In exchange, the patrol vehicles were featured in successful promotional campaigns by the manufacturer. At the time, Saabs were some of the first vehicles with front wheel drive, making them an excellent choice for mountain driving and symbolic of Vail's cutting edge image. The subsidized leases continued for nearly three decades until earlier in the year when Saab announced it would discontinue the low-cost program. Following an analysis of other vehicles, including increased capacity for lap top computers, radar and video camera systems, the Ford Explorer has been selected as Saab's replacement. The seven police Saabs will remain on the streets until Jan. 31. After that, they'll be returned to the Mike Shaw dealership in Denver, ending a long tradition.
Source: Town of Vail, Vail-Mail