DRIVE TIME: DODGE CHARGER CHP BUYS CHARGERS FOR FLEET MOST OF THE 88 CARS PURCHASED WILL BE USED UNDERCOVER.

Byline: GREGORY J. WILCOX

Staff Writer

American muscle will soon be prowling the Golden State's highways in a law enforcement capacity.

The California Highway Patrol has spent $1.9 million to buy 88 Dodge Chargers. Nine will be white with a CHP logo on the front doors and will be used at the academy for training and evaluation.

Nine with a snappier logo will be distributed to the eight divisions across the state and at the Sacramento headquarters, and will be driven by public affairs officers and used as a recruiting tool.

The remaining 70? You probably won't see them. They'll be used undercover, so the idea is not to attract attention, although the Charger certainly is an attention-getter.

"They will be regular factory colors and not have any CHP logos," CHP spokeswoman Jamie Coffee said. "They will look like any other Dodge Charger out there on the road."

This is as much about fuel efficiency as raw speed and power, although the Charger has both these qualities.

Seventy-nine of the cars will have a more fuel efficient V-6 power plant but they are still pursuit-rated vehicles. The nine at the academy will have the bigger 340 horsepower, 5.7 liter V-8 Hemi engine.

It's been 11 years since the CHP changed its main pursuit cruiser.

In 1996, the agency put the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in service as its general purpose patrol vehicle. And in 1994 and 1995, the agency used the Chevrolet Caprice.

Today, there are about 1,800 Crown Vics in service as well as a few Camaros.

Purchasing is handled by the state's Department of General Services and is done every year or two. And the Dodge Charger is one of the vehicles state law enforcement agencies can select.

Here are some requirements the CHP has for its patrol cruiser:

It must be rear-wheel drive and a certified police vehicle.

The agency's radio has to work in it, the weapons have to fit inside the cockpit and there has to be adequate trunk space.

There must be room to haul around a prisoner.

Dodge spokesman Bryan Zvibleman said this model is becoming increasingly popular with law enforcement.

Last year there were 3,600 Chargers in police service.

"This year we've already sold more than 8,000 units. We have our Charger on the ground in every single state except Hawaii," Zvibleman said.

The big sellers so far are ride, handling and performance, he said, adding, "And like our production vehicle, the looks are quite noticeable on the road."

Zvibleman also said that the 340-horsepower, V-8 Hemi matches the fuel efficiency of the 240-horsepower Ford engine. And the V-6 Charger motor matched the Ford V-8 in lap performance times.

"We've gone from zero to more than 8,000 in only a few years and we'll continue to build our momentum," he said. "The Charger name has a lot of equity."

And it has a high profile in Manhattan. It's now the patrol car of the NYPD.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Dodge Charger, which will become part of the California Highway Patrol fleet, is already the car of choice for the New York Police Department.

(2 -- color) The California Highway Patrol has purchased 88 Dodge Chargers for $1.9 million, most of which will be used for undercover work.

Vincent Laforet/The New York Times