Not all drivers appreciate the sight of a police car behind them, but at least these will get your attention for the right reasons…
Imagine how much more interesting it would be if the roads were patrolled by Porsche 911s, or Audi R8s, or Honda NSXs?
Or a hot-hatchback like the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, pictured, which saw service in the UK? Well, the police in one part of the world or other have used all these cars, and a whole lot more, so take a look at these:
53: BMW i3 (USA)
Compact, agile and very eco, the BMW i3 has been adopted by numerous police forces around the globe for panda car work in urban environments. This is one of 100 electric i3s ordered by the Los Angeles Police Department, for urban patrols, at a cost of $2.9 million.
While the deal has done much for LA’s green credentials, the sand in the ointment is that Los Angeles is a large, sprawling conurbation, as you’d have thought someone might have noticed. It seems officers have found the 80-100 mile single-charge range a challenge, and so the i3s are not used as much as the department’s more conventional vehicles, and in 2020 many were sold off.
52: Nissan Fairlady Z Nismo (Japan)
The Fairlady Z is better known as the 350Z in most places outside Japan, and was the car that marked the company’s revival as maker of interesting cars after a near-death experience in the late 1990s. But this particular model is more notable still, as it’s the tuned up Nismo version. A significant number of them were placed into the service of the Tochigi Prefecture police force in central Japan in 2008.
This Nismo version only boosted the 304bhp 3.5-litre V6 up to 310bhp, but added delectable goodies including a Viscous Limited-Slip Differential (VLSD), uprated suspension, a new traction control system, a NISMO aerodynamics package, and Brembo brakes.
51: Dodge Coronet Police Car (USA)
Dodge’s first official police package was offered on the Coronet from 1956. The 1959 model, shown here, came with a 314bhp Hemi V8, push-button TorqueFlite automatic transmission and the distinctive, be-finned ‘Forward Look’ styling pioneered by its designer Virgil Exner.
“They go from standstill to highest pursuit speeds in a flash,” crowed an advertisement, “handle, corner and stop like no other car you’ve ever seen or driven.” The Coronet was one of many contemporary police models to feature in the popular TV series Highway Patrol.
50: Hummer H2 (USA)
A Texan sheriff didn’t want to have to drive a regular Hummer H2; he wanted something a whole lot meaner. So he commissioned German tuning company Geiger to uprate things by supercharging the 7.0-liter V8 to produce 710bhp and 667lb ft of torque – and to fit 28-inch wheels to make sure the car was as uncomfortable as it was fast.
49: BMW 501 (Germany)
Only Germany’s most highly trained traffic cops got to drive one of these ‘Baroque Angels’, with its 2.6-litre V8 (later a 3.2-litre V8). BMW did all of the work in-house, building each car specifically for Polizei use.
