Is the Midville Police Cruiser a Piranha with a turret?
 

Take a look at the Police Cruisers and green car #17 from the East Midville counter sheet, the pink/white car from the Original CWC as well as in the AADA Vehicle Guide #1 seen here. https://iili.io/HNP9eR9.jpg

Are they the same Piranha just with a top turret instead of side mounted MGs? Is the turret a 'cop special' government model?

Is there any 'background' or story behind these? Thanks!

Re: Is the Midville Police Cruiser a Piranha with a turret?
 

If you want.

I don't believe there has ever been any indication that the Police Cruiser and the Piranha share any heritage, and there is no indication that Car 17 is a piranha.

It looks similar to the Piranha in VG1 but the Naginata and Chameleon are also somewhat similar.

I doubt a car company manufactured a vehicle called "Police Cruiser", I also doubt Midville police department designed a unique vehicle, but they may have taken a production vehicle and upgraded it, and the production vehicle may have been the Piranha.

The thing we always come down to when adjusting designs is when it ceases to be a customised Piranha and become instead a completely different car.

Would someone take a Piranha and decide that five weapons on four facings could be made more efficient. Yes. Would it be a Piranha at the end of the process. I'd say no.

Once you take off the weapons and the armour all you are left with is a chassis and plant. On that basis there may be a couple of dozen possible designs (that are viable).

I'd be fairly happy to say the Police Cruiser was a modified Car 17, since they could be identical.

Re: Is the Midville Police Cruiser a Piranha with a turret?
 

Not really, no. The PolCru has seen "variants", so to speak, in various adventures; _Grand Theft Autoduel_ has a Heavy-Chassis-based version, for ex.

As to a "turreted _Piranha_": I have such a design in my personal files, based off that artwork; if you're interested, I can e-mail you the details.

Re: Is the Midville Police Cruiser a Piranha with a turret?
 

Thanks both of you. I was curious if there was ever any 'official' SJG lore or description of these very similar looking cars, but it looks like there wasn't.

In my imagination, the Police Cruiser is a Piranha CP model specifically designed for government sale. Much in the way car companies do today.

A different weapon configuration indeed, including a cargo area in the back for suspects after arrest, or for salvage, or both. But the same basic body.