2001-2002 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Oregon State Police Car

Photo by Cliff West

The Ford Crown Victoria was redesigned for 1998, and in 1999 the P71 police package became officially known as the Police Interceptor. In 2001, the slatted grille of the standard Crown Victoria was replaced on the Police Interceptor with a honeycomb grille with a floating Ford oval. The Police Interceptor also received the "Performance Improved" 4.6-liter dual-valve V8 producing 235 horsepower and 265 foot-pounds of torque, along with a new rear differential and a more powerful alternator. The 2002 models were virtually identical to the 2001s.

Photo by Cliff West

The Oregon State Police introduced this dark blue paint scheme around the year 2000, replacing the previous black and white livery dating back to around 1995. This new paint scheme would have a long run, lasting until a new silver paint scheme was introduced in late 2017. 

Photo by Cliff West

This Oregon State Police Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is a 2001 or 2002 model that was photographed in Rainier, Oregon, around October of 2003.

2001 Mercury California Cougar Concept

The 2001 Mercury Cougar was powered by a 170-horsepower 2.5-liter DOHC 24-valve Duratec V6 engine and came standard with a AM/FM Stereo/single CD player, a 50/50 rear seatback, front independent MacPherson compact strut and Quadralink rear suspension systems, a SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system, a trip computer and wraparound projector and reflector headlamps. Available options included leather seating surfaces, Anti-lock Brake System, aluminum footrest, clutch brake and accelerator pedal pads, and limited edition Cougar XR and Cougar C2 trims. This particular Mercury Cougar, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was a concept called the California Cougar, featuring a custom body kit by Wings West.

2001 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph

The Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was introduced in 1998 and was powered by a BMW-designed 322-horsepower single-overhead-cam 5.4-liter V12 engine. With a base curb weight of 5,075 pounds, the Silver Seraph could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 7 seconds.

2001 Bentley Azure

The Bentley Azure, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was introduced in 1995 and was powered by a 385-horsepower overhead-valve 6.75-liter turbocharged V8 engine. With a base curb weight of 5,075 pounds, the Bentley Azure could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 150 miles per hour. 

2001 Qvale Mangusta

The Qvale Mangusta, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, is an Italian sports car that was developed jointly by Qvale and De Tomaso and was originally introduced in 2000 as the De Tomaso Mangusta, however De Tomaso and Qvale promptly parted ways, and the car was sold under the Qvale name. Powered by a 320-horsepower 4.6-liter Ford Modular Cobra SVT V8 engine with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission, the rear-wheel-drive Mangusta could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 160 miles per hour with the manual transmission. The Mangusta featured plastic body panels and a unique convertible top called a “roto-top,” with a manually removable center section as with a targa top, with the rear section able to electrically rotate into a cavity behind the rear seats to make the car a full convertible. This example is painted pearlescent Corallo Red with a Cappuccino interior.

2001 Lotus Esprit V8

The Lotus Esprit was first introduced in 1976, with a fiberglass body and a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine, and was restyled in 1987. The Lotus Esprit saw few external changes from year to year; one major internal change was the introduction of the V8 engine in 1996. Displayed at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, this 2001 Lotus Esprit V8, with its 350-horsepower mid-mounted dual overhead cam twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V8 engine, will accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds and reach a top speed of nearly 180 miles per hour. The Lotus Esprit would continue in production until 2004 for a total of 28 years.

2001 Avanti

The Studebaker Avanti was introduced in 1963. Failing Studebaker discontinued it in 1964, but sold the rights to the design to the new Avanti Motor Corporation, which revived the sports car in 1965 as the Avanti II. The company maintained limited but profitable production into the 1980s. A new generation of Avanti was introduced, and the original Studebaker chassis was eventually abandoned for a newer, more modern Chevrolet chassis. Production continued until 1991, when the company went bankrupt. In the late 1990s, a new Avanti design based on the chassis of the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird was developed, and this new design was introduced to the public in 2001.

This was an entirely new design, with little in common with the previous Avanti except the basic styling. Shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, the new Avanti was available as either a T-Top Coupe or as a Convertible. With General Motors discontinuing the Camaro and the Firebird after 2002, few of this generation of Avanti were ultimately built, and a new design based on the Ford Mustang was introduced in 2004.

2001 Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible

This generation of the Porsche 911 was introduced in 1998 as the first completely-redesigned 911 since the original debuted in 1963. The 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was essentially unchanged, aside from a slight increase from 296 horsepower to 300 horsepower for its rear-mounted water-cooled 3.4-liter dual-overhead-cam horizontally-opposed "flat" 6-cylinder "boxer" engine. The Porsche 911 Carrera was available with either a six-speed manual or a 5-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. 2001 was the last year for this generation’s original styling; in 2002 the 911 Carrera would receive the same headlights as the Porsche 911 Turbo.

2001 Porsche 911 Turbo

The 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was released in the United States in the Summer of 2000. Powered by a 420-horsepower 3.6-liter dual-overhead-cam, twin-turbocharged horizontally-opposed "flat" 6-cylinder "boxer" engine with 413 foot-pounds of torque at 2,700 rpm, with either a six-speed manual or a 5-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, the all-wheel drive 911 Turbo could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 190 miles per hour. 

Externally, the 911 Turbo differed from the 911 Carrera with a unique front end with three large air intakes and differently-shaped headlights, wider rear fenders with intercooler ducting, and a retractable rear spoiler.

2001 Honda S2000

The Honda S2000, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year. The Spa Yellow color was new for 2001. The S2000’s 240-horsepower 2.0-liter 16-valve dual overhead cam VTEC inline 4-cylinder engine produced more power per liter than any naturally-aspirated production engine in the world. With a standard 6-speed manual transmission, the rear-wheel drive S2000 could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour and 5.8 seconds with a quarter-mile time of 14.7 seconds at 95 miles per hour. Featuring optimum 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution, rigid body construction, and double-wishbone front and rear suspension, the S2000 could achieve 70 mile per hour slalom speeds. Standard features included a torque-sensing limited-slip differential, 4-channel anti-lock braking system, 16-inch alloy wheels, high-intensity discharge headlights, electrically-powered soft top, power windows, mirrors, and door locks, cruise control, AM/FM Stereo CD Player, digital instrument panel, engine start button, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-trimmed seats & door panels, dual front airbags, Immobilizer Theft-Deterrent System and Remote Entry System.

2001 Acura NSX

The mid-engined 2001 Acura NSX, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, with its all-aluminum architecture was powered by a 290-horsepower 3.2-liter dual overhead cam V6 with a 6-speed manual transmission or a 252-horsepower 3.0-liter dual overhead cam V6 with a fingertip-controlled SportShift automatic transmission. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes were standard. 2001 would be the last year for the NSX’s original body before receiving a facelift for 2002.

2001 Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage

The Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was introduced in 2000, with a 420-horsepower 6.0-liter dual overhead cam V12 replacing the previous 335-horsepower 35-liter supercharged inline six-cylinder engine of the standard DB7, increasing top speed from 163 miles per hour to 185 miles per hour. With the manual transmission, the Vantage could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.0 seconds; an automatic transmission was also available. The DB7 V12 Vantage was available as a coupe or a convertible, with features including Brembo brakes, 18-inch alloy wheels, and 4-wheel disc anti-lock brakes.