A little more on the chase cars. The link to the story is at the bottom has some video's you can watch...
The Air Force began using chase cars early on in the U-2 program, all the way back to the days of the project's 1950s Groom Lake (a.k.a. Area 51) testing. The first examples were reportedly Ford station wagons, typically showroom models with the biggest V-8 available. Chevrolet El Caminos (ha!) followed, as did a host of good-natured abuse at the hands of servicemen.
By all accounts, the El Caminos were capable and long-lived, if a bit slow and underbraked. They lasted until 1985, when the Air Force borrowed a Special Service Package (SSP) Ford Mustang from the California Highway Patrol. (The SSP was a lightweight, 5.0-liter V-8-powered police model that produced between 180 and 225 hp depending on year. You can read more about it here.) The Mustang handed the El Camino its ass, the Air Force was thrilled, and it bought 20 examples of the car over the following decade. Most of them were automatics, almost all of them were blue, and with the exception of a few stenciled logos, a light bar, and some auxiliary switches, they were stock. One is currently in civilian hands after being stationed in Europe, but the rest are rumored to have been crushed.
Fourth-gen Camaros in Chevrolet's B4C/Special Service trim came after that, lasting until a few years ago, at which point they were replaced with 2005-2006 Pontiac GTOs. The V-8-powered Pontiac G8 GT recently filtered into the fleet, though it appears that the GTOs have yet to be removed from service. No matter the model, the chief draws are usually acceleration capability, high-speed stability, and parts continuity.
http://jalopnik.com/5537629/the-140+...e-us-air-force