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Sleek, cutting through the air like arrowheads, low
enough to drive under your kitchen table and so fast that 150 mph seems
pedestrian, supercars are the ultimate eye candy. Car lovers drool at
the mere sight of these high-dollar, high-thrill rides. But drop a light
bar and a police-themed paint scheme on them and they elicit an entirely
different bodily reaction. Get lit up by one of these police
supercruisers and you're a snowball and it's getting hotter every
second. Sure, there's no escape, but to get pulled over by one of the
exotic police cars on this list is almost a privilege.
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Lamborghini Aventador | Dubai, United Arab
Emirates; Italy; U.K.
Lamborghini could be considered the worldwide leader in crime-fighting
supercars, since many police departments opting for something exotic go
with a supercar from this famed Italian automaker with the fighting-bull
emblem. A green-and-white Aventador LP700-4 from the Dubai police stable
is the latest Lambo to go on patrol. With 700 horsepower stampeding from
its 6.5-liter V12 engine and a 2.9-second zero-to-60-mph time on its way
to a 217 mph top speed, all the Aventador needs to fulfill its duty are
lights, a siren and a paint scheme. |
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Caparo T1 | United Kingdom
The U.K. seems to have embraced the supercar police interceptor more
than any other country. This Formula One-inspired street-legal racer
from Caparo Vehicle Technologies has joined London's Metropolitan Police
Service as a rapid-response vehicle. Its 3.5-liter V8 engine delivers
575 horsepower at a stratospheric 10,500 rpm, and goes from zero to 60
mph in an insane 2.4-seconds; 100 mph comes in less than five ticks. The
only way to escape this beast would be to get out of your car and run;
by the time the bobbies get those racing harnesses unbuckled, you'll be
on your second pint at the pub. |
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Porsche 911 | Germany; Austria
In Germany they don't dial 911, they drive a 911. The Porsche 911 has a
long history of service in Teutonic police forces, and it is likely the
first vehicle considered by any autobahn-based jurisdiction looking for
a high-speed pursuit vehicle. With a substantial redesign in 2012, the
seventh-generation Porsche 911 is longer, lower and wider than ever, and
patrolling in this Carrera S-based cruiser puts 400 horsepower at the
disposal of the Polizei. |
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Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 | Italy
Another "bull in a china shop" scenario has the Lamborghini Gallardo
LP560-4 chasing down the bad guys. The heart of the Lambo is a 5.2-liter
V10 engine rated at 560 horsepower (the "560" in LP560-4). The car's
all-wheel-drive system (the "4" in LP560-4) propels the Italian
thoroughbred to 60 mph in a scant 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of
201 mph. |
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Cadillac CTS-V | Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
The donuts never tasted so good for the patrolmen of Bloomfield Hills,
Mich., a wealthy suburb of Detroit. The Bloomfield Hills Police
Department has sported a number of cool General Motors-based police
cruisers over the years. The department borrows the rides, converts them
for service, and after a predetermined time period reverts them to stock
livery and returns them to GM. In the Cadillac CTS-V, the department can
cruise and pursue in world-class luxury with a stout, 556-horsepower V8
engine under the control of that shiny right boot.
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X | Australia; Malaysia;
U.K.
What does this Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X patrol car have that most others
on the list don't? Four doors. With a spacious rear seat, the Evo can
not only overtake getaway drivers, it can transport the perps back to
the stationhouse. With Mitsubishi's intuitive Super All Wheel Control
active center differential, active yaw control system and 291-horsepower
turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, the Evo X is a real go-getter.
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Jaguar XF | U.K.
Jaguar has offered XFs for law enforcement use since 2010 and has had
many takers in the U.K. and abroad. We had visions of the 510-horsepower
supercharged XFR, but the cruisers are twin-turbo diesel cats.
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Desert patrol vehicle | Arizona
Under the "right tool for the right job" banner we have the U.S. Border
Patrol dune buggy. Based in Arizona, these machines tackle temperatures
and terrain that would make most patrol SUVs surrender. Motivated by a
spry, 200-horsepower Volkswagen engine, this "police car" is all about
suspension travel. The buggy fleet gained notice in 2006, when President
George W. Bush took a ride in one in Yuma, Ariz.
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Lotus | Italy; U.K.
Exige or Evora, pick your poison; both Lotus sports cars are serving as
hot pursuit vehicles in Europe. The Lotus seems best suited to urban
areas, where its balanced handling and intuitive steering will have the
biggest effect. The Evora S sets the scene well with 345 horsepower, a
zero-to-60-mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 178 mph.
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Audi R8 GTR | Germany
This is a police concept created by tuner ABT Sportsline to entice
German police departments in need of an autobahn burner as a pursuit
vehicle. The R8 GTR relies on a 5.2-liter 620-horsepower V10 engine to
lay down the law. It leaps from zero to 60 mph in an eye-popping 3.2
seconds on its way to two clicks above the double-century mark: 202 mph.
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