World’s most interesting police cars – 2020 edition

More often than not cop cars are completely unimaginative.

Imagine how much more interesting it would be if the roads were patrolled by Porsche 911s, or Audi R8s, or Honda NSXs?

Well, believe it or not, the police in one part of the world or other have used all these cars, and a whole lot more, so cop a load of these. We’ve ranked them in order, working up to the police car we think is the world’s most interesting police car ever used.

As usual, we’re only including vehicles that we’re fairly certain saw active duty, so cars used from promotional campaigns are excluded. Buckle up:

80: Ford Police Interceptor Utility (USA)

You might well ask why this ubiquitous police truck is interesting. Well, it symbolises a profound trend for American police departments to give up on the traditional large saloons that Americans have come to know, love and fear, in favour of the SUVs increasingly popular with civilian motorists too. With Ecoboost V6 engines - including now a hybrid option - the vehicles are more efficient than ever, and also offer decent high-speed handling and stability.

Ford also asserts that it’s the only police vehicle in the world to meet the 75mph rear impact crash test.

79: Hindustan Ambassador (India)

When Morris had had its fill of its Oxford model in the British market, it shipped the tooling lock-stock-and-barrel to India, where it had a remarkable second-life as India’s first home-built car, and became the country’s most popular family car, as well as in other roles such as a taxi. And naturally the local police lapped it up too. Indeed it’s suggested that the Indian government bought around 15% of the total production during its life.

While hardly the last word in comfort, speed and refinement, it was reasonably sturdy and, given its omnipresence, easy to find someone to fix it and find spare parts when needed. The Ambassador was in production between 1958 and 2014.

78: Vauxhall Senator (Britain)

Starting in 1987, the Rover SD1 had a rival for the heart of every British policeman and woman in the shape of the handsomely brutish Vauxhall Senator, sold in Europe as an Opel. But the car really came into its own in 1989 with the arrival of a new version featuring a 24-valve 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine good for 201bhp.

The car was highly regarded by motorway police for its sure-footed handling and large boot, perfect for carrying cones and temporary signs, and in many ways it was the perfect last hurrah for the large Vauxhall, which died in 1993 and wasn’t replaced, a victim of the trend towards premium badging for executive-sized cars.

77: Lenco Bearcat (Canada)

Massachusetts-based Lenco has been building armoured vehicles since 1981, and released the Bearcat in 2001, having been designed in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau. Based on a Ford F-550 Super Duty and able to withstand automatic weapons fire, it weighs in at a hefty 17,550 lb (7960 kg), so really needs its 444bhp 6.7-litre Ford Powerstroke Turbo Diesel to get around.

SWAT-type teams across North America use the vehicle, including the tactical unit of Ottawa police, as pictured. Other users include police in Australia, Brazil, and the Netherlands. The US Army, Navy and Air forces all use it too. They cost around $200,000-$300,000 apiece, depending on equipment.

76: Holden Commodore SV6 (Australia)

For decades the Commodore was one of the most famous and most-used police car in Australia, and we can’t but admire any police force that uses a 3.6-litre V6-powered car as its standard police cruiser. Good for 282bhp, this engine was also used in the Cadillac CTS. The last generation Commodore was imported to the US where it was branded the Chevrolet SS.

Sadly this 2016 example is one of the last of the line, as GM closed its factory in 2017. Australia’s police will have to use imports from now on, as all the other domestic car plants have also closed, and are having some fun choosing alternatives, as we shall see…

75: Land Rover Discovery (Britain)

The Discovery was a reasonably common sight on British roads in its day, so why’s this one interesting? Well, when Land Rover launched its then all-new Discovery to the press in Plymouth in 1989, they also hosted an intriguing event on a nearby vintage railway line where they showed off the capability of the new SUV - in police specification no less - seeing it tow four train carriages each weighing about 40,000kg each.

74: Ford Zephyr Mk2 Farnham Estate (Britain)

Britain opened its M1 motorway in 1959, and the police promptly drafted in the powerful six-cylinder Ford Zephyr to help police it. But they had a problem: the saloon wasn’t big enough to house all the signs, cones and other kit needed, so it sent a bunch of them to wagon specialist Farnham to be converted. And they coloured them white, highly unusual for the time, as a visible deterrent to errant drivers.

Of which there were a lot, as there were no speed limits on the M1 until December 1965, when a 70mph limit was imposed that stands to this day on all British motorways.

73: Land Rover 110 (Britain)

There was a time when the original Land Rover (named ‘Defender’ from 1990) in police colours was a common sight on the roads of Britain and beyond. They were perfect for hauling crash-damaged vehicles off the road, and came into their own in the snow. Progressively replaced by more modern 4x4s, including those made by Land Rover, they’ve virtually disappeared now.

But we’re betting the gritty new Defender, unveiled recently, will be perfect for a return to police ranks.

72: Mini Countryman (Georgia)

Modern Minis are often seen as the ultimate ‘lifestyle’ vehicle, so it’s pleasing to see Georgian police press the Countryman compact SUV into active service.

71: Wartburg 353W (East Germany)

While the West German police were driving their Audi 200s and BMW 5 Series’, over in the German Democratic Republic the cops were piloting their rather less high-tech Wartburgs. The heaters were supposed to be pretty good though, and the cars have a certain cold war charm about them.

Following East Germany’s collapse, Wartburg’s factory was acquired by Opel, then owned by GM. It operates to this day, building the Vauxhall/Opel Corsa small car, now under France’s PSA.

70: Mercedes-Benz ML350 (USA)

As Beverly Hills is one of the most famously swanky parts of America, it's perhaps only fitting that the local police department uses this upmarket Mercedes SUV. It was donated by the local Benz dealership to play a role in a drug education campaign called DARE.

69: Chevrolet Suburban ‘Jammer’ (USA)

Whenever the president of America travels by road, they always do so in a rather large motorcade, which always includes two identical Cadillac presidential limousines to confuse potential assailants. Part of every motorcade is this stealthy Suburban. Operated by the US Secret Service, it emits a barrage of jamming signals to counter roadside bombs.

It is also believed to contain millimetre-wave radars that can instantly detect rocket-grenade attacks as well any laser illumination of the presidential vehicles as used by guided rockets. If those sensors are triggered it’s thought that an array of smoke grenades would be rapidly launched in order to provide a smoke screen, obscure the target and provide cover for evasive manoeuvres.

68: Rapid Model F 700B Police Patrol Wagon (USA)

This contraption is notable as it's one of the first police vehicles. Truck maker, Rapid Motor Vehicle Co. was acquired by GM in 1909. This Model F 700B Police Patrol Wagon dates from 1910, two years before the Rapid name, like Reliance, was replaced by GMC.

67: Renault 4CV (France)

One of 75 4CVs built by Renault for Paris police, this is one of the first 15 cars built, with cut-down windows to enable guns to be fired at fleeing criminals. The auctioneer Bonhams sold this 1955 car in 2017, for €39,100, around US$44,000 or £35,000 at the time.

66: Porsche 911 (Austria)

As you will see later in this feature, Austrian police have long been fans of Porsche 911s; indeed, when Dr Porsche first started out on his own after WW2, he did so with a small factory at Gmund in the country. The Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior took possession of this 911 Carrera in 2017 for a few months, when it was used for motorway enforcement.

Porsche's boss in the country, Dr Helmut Eggert, observed "Our partnership with the police force has a long tradition. In the 1960s and 70s, it was not unusual to see a Porsche police or gendarmerie vehicle with a flashing blue light. And in 2006, the Federal Ministry of the Interior received a Porsche 911 to use for motorway policing."

65: Jaguar XJ6 (Britain)

While executive-level cars have long been in common usage, cars from the luxury class are few and far between. So British police were fortunate to get their hands on the much loved XJ6 for high speed patrol duties, and it seems XJs were used from the early 1970s all the way to the early 1990s. But the XJ  was expensive to buy and operate, and today the only way a British police driver gets their hands on one is by driving the prime minister around in an armoured unmarked example.

64: Mercedes-Benz E43 AMG (Australia)

When Victoria Police in Australia was evaluating how to replace Aussie-built Fords and Holdens it drafted in a range of possible cars to test out. One was this rather tasty Mercedes E43 AMG - a 395bhp super-saloon with a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6.

63: Lexus LS 400 (USA)

Sadly records don’t tell us much about this particular US police car. But we do know that the LS 400 when introduced in 1989 set new standards for comfort and refinement in the luxury car class and sent shivers down the spine in Stuttgart among other places. And we can’t think of many better places to spend several hours-per-day on patrol duty than in this V8-powered machine.

62: BMW i8 (Czech Republic)

When BMW lent a brand new i8 to police in the Czech Republic the force had six months or 20,000km to work out whether or not it was for them. But sadly just a month into the loan the car was crashed when its driver suffered “a medical emergency” at the wheel.

61: Volkswagen Passat W8 (Luxembourg)

At first glance this may look like a boring VW four-door cop car, common throughout Europe and beyond. In fact, it's the very rare W8 variant  - the quad pipes give the game away - that featured a 271bhp W8 engine, and permanent four-wheel drive to help put all that power down.

The ultimate Q-car, this one was in the police service of the tiny European duchy of Luxembourg.

60: Ford Ranger (Afghanistan)

Rare is the police vehicle that wouldn’t be improved by the mounting of a heavy machine gun on its back, and this Ford Ranger as used by Afghan police is no exception. As you may have heard, the country has a difficult security situation, hence the 50-calibre insurance policy.

59: Audi TT Quattro (Hungary)

When the original Audi TT hit the market it was just the job for Hungarian traffic police who needed to keep up with tearways in their high-performance German cars. Power came from Audi’s 1.8T engine rather than the 3.2 V6. Boo.

58: Land Rover Discovery (Italy)

The Italian Carabinieri’s fleet contains numerous types of SUVs. Officers use Land Rover’s Defender and Discovery models in the Alps, especially during the winter months, but it’s not rare to spot them in urban areas. They’re also popular on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, where the pavement often crumbles into a trail with little prior notice.

57: Audi 4000S (USA)

It gets mighty cold and snowy in New Hampshire during the winter, which is why the South Hampton police department took delivery of a four-wheel drive Audi 4000S Quattro in 1985.  US police departments to this day like to buy American, but all-wheel-drive large saloons from the Big Three were not exactly thick on the ground at the time, hence turning to Audi, which was spearheading the trend in those days.

56: 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.

55: 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 300bhp 3.5-litre V6 up to 306bhp, 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.

54: 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 310bhp 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.

53: 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-litre V8 to produce 700bhp and 667lb ft of torque – and to fit 28-inch wheels to make sure the car was as uncomfortable as it was fast.

52: 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.

51: Prisoner barge (Italy)

OK, OK, we know it’s not a car. But we’re talking about Venice here, where police cars aren’t much use. This barge is used to cart the local police’s prisoners around.

50: Aurus Senat Guard sedan (Russia)

Back in Soviet times Russian leaders rolled around in enormous ZIL limousines. Unfortunately ZIL made its last car back in 2012, and Russia’s present leader Vladimir Putin in recent years had to face the ignominy of travelling around in a Mercedes-Benz made in Germany, a geopolitical rival.

Fortunately Moscow-based NAMI has come to the rescue with its new Senat limousine, which put in a first appearance at Mr Putin’s inuguration ceremony in 2018. But it has a short wheelbase sedan version, which serves to carry his police presidential bodyguards. Mr Putin can’t quite escape the Germans – both versions are powered by a 4.4-litre engine adapted from a Porsche V8.

49: Rover P6 3500S (Britain)

Rover offered 2.0- and 2.2-litre four-cylinder P6s, but it was the 3.5-litre V8, especially in 3500 S manual form, that was the perfect traffic car with its effortless motorway performance. It was normally painted white, but the odd Zircon Blue car featured.

What’s interesting about this particular car? We drove it a few years ago and discovered that it’s armour plated, weighs 2000kg, and between 1973 and 1987 ferried around VIPs including members of the British royal family and then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Much of the boot was taken up with high-powered radio equipment.

48: Lamborghini Huracán (Italy)

The Italian traffic police were well known for their two Lamborghini Gallardos, one of which was wrecked in a high-speed pursuit. Undeterred by this small setback, the Carabinieri has replaced the remaining Gallardo with a Huracán, used for carrying urgent human organ donations in a refrigerated compartment in the nose.

47: Dodge Charger (Canada)

While North American police forces quite enjoyed using the somewhat villainous-looking Chrysler 300 saloon, they lapped up its sister car, the Dodge Charger. So much indeed that Dodge made a special Police specification model, later named ‘Pursuit’. The current Pursuit model features a 3.6-litre V6 good for 292bhp, and is available with all-wheel drive.

This particular example is in service with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, roughly the equivalent of America’s FBI.

46: Ford Mustang Special Service Package (USA)

The Mustang SSP is one of Ford’s best-known pursuit vehicles. Its high-output 5.0-liter V8 gave a 15.5 second quarter-mile time and helped it “chase Porsches for a living”, according to contemporary advertising (pictured). Rack-and-pinion steering, power disc brakes and heavy-duty stabilizer bars helped it keep the 911s in view.

Following an arduous test program, in 1982 the California Highway Patrol, as the launch customer, purchased 400 of the specially equipped Mustangs, with a planned service life of 18 months. Ford produced the Mustang SSP until 1993.

45: VW Beetle (Germany)

Another German police car favourite was the Volkswagen Beetle, which was to be seen in towns and cities nationwide. In 1970 Volkswagen tried to get British police forces to adopt the Beetle as their panda car of choice – but they chose to stick with British marques instead.

44: Audi S3 (Britain)

Nearly all unmarked police cars are cool, and we absolutely love small, hot unmarked police cars. This Audi S3 is used by Surrey Police in southern England for motorway enforcement. The S3 features a four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 296bhp, whose blistering 0-62mph time of just 4.6 seconds must often come in useful.

43: Range Rover (Britain)

The Range Rover was one of the most popular traffic patrol cars throughout the 1970s. Cheshire Constabulary was the first to buy some, in April 1971, soon after the vehicle first went on sale.

It was equipped with the famous GM-designed compact alloy V8 engine, which in this application delivered 128bhp, which doesn’t sound much by modern standards. However, its 186lb ft of torque was capable of pulling a fully laden truck out of the way, which is why the police loved their Rangies.

42: Citroën SM (France)

The French gendarmerie is a part of the military which has jurisdiction over the civilian population. As well as presumably better guns than normal French cops, it seems they got better cars too - the wonderful Citroën SM was added to its high-speed fleet (named ‘brigade rapide d’intervention,’ French for ‘rapid intervention brigade’) in the early 1970s.

The car was equipped with a Maserati V6 tuned up to 174bhp, a fruit of Citroën’s purchase of the storied Italian company in 1968. A total of 12,900 SMs were produced between 1970 and 1975.

41: Unimog (Germany)

First established back in 1948, Unimog is the famed go-anywhere all-wheel drive commercial brand of Mercedes-Benz. They’re widely used by fire and forestry departments, and come into their own in the snow.

This particular example is equipped with a front scoop, collecting equipment and signage in connection with policing the demonstrations during the G20 Hamburg summit held in 2017.

40: Bugatti Veyron (Dubai)

We don’t know how highly trained the Dubai police drivers are, but presumably they go through plenty of extra testing (and retesting) to get behind the wheel of one of the force’s two Bugatti Veyrons. The Veyron features a W16 engine with four turbochargers, belting out 987bhp, and capable of a 253mph top speed. More than enough to keep Dubai’s boy racers in check, we presume.

39: Tesla Model S (Luxembourg)

Police vehicles tend to get very heavy usage compared to normal cars. After all, they spend most of their time out and about on patrol and responding to emergencies. As such, the limited range of many electric vehicles, combined with the amount of time needed to recharge them compared to the five minute fill-up of a normal car, would seem to make them less-than-perfect.

However, with a real-world range of around 250 miles, the Tesla Model S has one of the longest of any electric car. And they are also extremely fast. But the icing on the cake of this particular application is that Luxembourg is a small place (34 miles wide and 50 miles high at its extremes), so range is less of an issue than it might be elsewhere.

38: Daimler SP250 (Britain)

London’s Metropolitan Police bought a big batch of these two-seater glassfibre-bodied sports cars for its traffic division. With each one powered by an incredibly flexible 2.5-litre V8, they were just the job for catching villains in their increasingly fast saloons.

37: Lykan Hypersport (Abu Dhabi)

Anything Dubai can do, fellow emirate Abu Dhabi can match, which is why the latter has added a Lykan Hypersport to its armoury. With just seven of these cars made, at a whopping $3.4m apiece, the Hypersport isn’t your average traffic car.

Lykan is based in Dubai and as such, it’s the first sports car to be designed and built in the Middle East. It features a twin-turbo flat six engine that produces 780bhp. Lykan claims a 0-62mph time of 2.8 seconds, en route to a 245mph top speed.

36: Buick Four Door Sedan (USA)

This 1935 Buick was adapted for police use with spotlights, gun ports and, most likely, bullet-proof glass, but Buicks of the period already came with safety glass – one of a number of engineering features that marked them out from the competition.

The straight-eight-powered 1935 models also boasted an accelerator starter and Knee Action independent front suspension. Knee Action was a pioneering design by one of the greatest names in vehicle dynamics, Maurice Olley. Having previously worked at Rolls-Royce, the Briton Olley would go on to develop the chassis and suspension of the C1 Corvette.

35: MGB (Britain)

This is a standard 1.8-litre MGB GT, but in V8 form the B was a popular unmarked car as few drivers expected a two-seater sports car to be on patrol. One of the forces that used unmarked MGB GT V8s was Thames Valley Police, which now has a bas in part on MG’s old factory at Abingdon, south of Oxford.

34: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (Italy)

It may have just a 2.9-litre V6 in the nose, but the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio packs a 503bhp punch that’s enough to take it all the way to 191mph with 0-62mph available in all of 3.9 seconds. We’d say that’s quite a rapid response vehicle.

33: Datsun 240Z (Japan)

When Datsun launched the 240Z in Japan in 1971 there were three options: the regular hatch, the 240Z-L and the 240Z-G, pepped up to give a top speed of 131mph. Given away by its faired-in headlights, this 240Z-G served as a patrol car with the Kanagawa Prefecture Highway Police from March 1972, since when it’s racked up 370,940km (232,000 miles).

32: Chevrolet Camaro (USA)

This 1991 Camaro is still operated by the Michigan State Police and is located at its training academy at Dimondale. The cars were operated for high speed patrol duties, but this one is now in semi-retirement alongside a 1992 Ford Mustang and a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice.

31: Porsche 924 (Germany)

With its hatchback configuration the 924 offered practicality like no previous Porsche had been able to. It might not have been the fastest car on the road with its 2.0-litre engine, but the 924 handled superbly and was capable of keeping up with faster cars driven in desperation by criminals who lacked the driver training of the traffic cops.

30: Volkswagen Beetle (Canada)

The huge-selling original Volkswagen Beetle was widely used as a police vehicle across the world, while the ‘new Beetle’ first sold in 1998 was nothing like as popular either with police or the public. Still, it had decent mechanicals derived from the Golf, and we reckon it looks pretty good doing police duties in Toronto, Canada’s largest city.

29: Ford Mustang (USA)

Have we got room for another Mustang? You bet.

Florida-based tuning company Steeda Autosport has been supplying marked and unmarked police cars for more than 20 years. Launched in 2016, the company’s Ford Mustang Interceptor could be ordered with or without livery – and with or without a supercharger. In normally aspirated form the 5.0-litre V8 pumps out 490bhp – and with a Whipple supercharger bolted on this rises to a very fruity (and conveniently rounded) 777bhp.

28: Mercedes-Benz S-Class (China)

We’re used to seeing the Mercedes E-Class in police service in many parts of Europe and beyond. The expensive and luxurious S-Class tends to not get a look in, so this car used in China for VIP protection duties is notable. And at least you’ll be sure of a comfy ride if one pulls you over.

27: Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R (Japan)

Another high-speed Japanese police car, this time in the service of police in the Japanese province of Saitama, just north of Tokyo. It appears there’s only one in operation, sadly. The R34 was produced between 1999 and 2002, and is so celebrated that it’s widely known as ‘Godzilla’ – on account of its brutishly effective 2.6-litre twin turbo, good for 327bhp, 0-60 in 4.6sec and top speed of 156mph.

As all (non-police) cars in Japan are legally restricted to 112mph outside racetracks, this should be enough, we reckon.

26: Alpine A310 (France)

The roads of France were notably lethal in the 1970s - over 14,000 people were to die on them in 1976. This compared to 3259 deaths in 2018, when the country had 22 million more people in it and many million more cars. To combat the dire situation in the ‘70s, the French police resolved to crack down on speeding, bad driving and calm the general carnage with cars like this A310.

The French gendarmerie took delivery of seven A310s in 1977, and at least two of them are still in the force's private museum collection. Power came from a 2.7-litre V6, good for 148bhp and a 137mph top speed. A total of 9276 V6 A310s were built between 1976 and 1984.

25: Lexus IS F (Britain)

Britain’s Humberside Police were quick to jump on the opportunities offered by the Lexus IS F, a sports saloon first launched in 2007. The car offered a 5.0-litre engine good for 416bhp and a 168mph top speed, but for Autocar readers the most interesting fact is that this was we believe the first V8-engined car in full-time Britain police operation since the glory days of the Rover SD1’s 3500 - and quite probably the last we'll ever see too.

And the V8 must have come in handy, as the car had to cart around the weight of £30,000 worth of extra equipment including a computer, four-way camera system and two radios. It was a command car for the force’s vehicle crime unit.

24: Rover SD1 (Britain)

The SD1 came in four- and six-cylinder forms and many British police forces used them for regular policing duties. But it was the 3.5-litre Buick-designed alloy V8 that was fitted to traffic division squad cars. It remains one of the country’s most-loved police cars, its hero status cemented by an event in May 1987:

One day two police Rover SD1 V8s were involved in a race against time to deliver a new liver organ donation from the runway at Stansted Airport, North East of London, to a desperately ill patient at a hospital in West London; police helicopters were grounded by discovery of a major engine fault. Travelling down the M11 motorway at speeds of up to 120mph and then tearing through a heavily congested London on a Friday lunchtime, the 29-mile journey took just 31 minutes. The liver got to the hospital with just five minutes to spare; the patient was operated on, and she survived.

23: Porsche 911 (Germany)

Porsche built its one millionth car on 15 July 1996. The company donated the milestone car, a 993-series 911 Carrera, to Germany’s police department. The coupé spent years chasing speeding cars down the speed-restricted sections of the Autobahn before retiring and joining Porsche’s collection. Today, it’s displayed in the company’s museum on the outskirts of Stuttgart.

22: Ford Capri 2.8i (Britain)

A favourite with Greater Manchester Police, one cop, now retired, reminisces: “The Capri was ahead of its time as a pursuit vehicle, nothing could lose them. Superb when it was dry, but when it was wet – oh my god! The back end always came round, if you gave it too much gas as you went into a corner. In winter we would frequently take out equipment and put sandbags in to keep the back-end down”.

21: BMW X6 (Portugal)

The GNR is Portugal’s Republican Guard, a paramilitary force akin to the Guardia Civil in neighbouring Spain. As such its policemen are in fact soldiers, and in the X6 they have an excellent way to get around.

It’s an interesting choice – the space and capability of the BMW X5 are highly valued by police forces across the world, but its X6 counterpart is much less practical, if somewhat more svelte to look at. We suspect this was one was confiscated as an ill-gotten gain of a gangster.

20: Porsche 356 (Netherlands)

Police forces across Europe used the Porsche 356 as a patrol car; these early Porsches were popular in Germany, Belgium and Holland, as well as Austria. This 356 was one of around 40 used by Dutch police. One of just three survivors, Bonhams sold it for a hefty €235k in October 2014.

19: Chrysler 300 SRT Core (Australia)

As some Australians can ruefully attest, the Highway Patrol of New South Wales – Australia’s most populous state – enforces speed limits and other traffic laws with ruthless efficiency. Faced with replacing its fleet of home-grown V6-powered Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon patrol cars, it conducted a three-year evaluation process.

It chose the dependable BMW 530D, but also the rather thrilling SRT Core, based on the 300 saloon, which utilises a thunderous 6.4-litre HEMI V8, delivering 469bhp and a 0-62mph time of around 4.6sec, en route to a limited 155mph top speed. A splendidly old-school choice, and one we’re unlikely to see much more of, anywhere.

18: Mitsubishi Evo X (Britain)

South Yorkshire Police added an Evo X to its fleet, alongside Evo VIII and IX editions of Mitsubishi’s rally car for the road. Surefooted, fast and capable of seating five, the Evo was surely the ultimate traffic car.

17: Ford RS200 (Britain)

A genuine Group B rally hero, just 153 examples of the RS200 were built, each one packing a turbocharged BDA engine behind the cabin. Essex Police toyed with the idea of using RS200s as traffic cars, and we like to think they saw active service as a test for at least a short period, such is the immense cool factor of this car.

16: Subaru Impreza (Britain)

Not all police forces chose to go with Cosworth-tuned Fords; some decided to add different high-performance cars to their fleet. In the case of Humberside Police it was the Subaru Impreza Turbo that was the weapon of choice....

15: BAC Mono (Isle of Man)

The Isle of Man, the Britain crown dependency situated in the Irish sea, hosts the annual TT motorcycle race. It's a famously tough and dangerous race that takes place on public roads, and attracts bike fans from all the the world each summer.

In 2017, the local police took delivery of this 170mph 305bhp pocket supercar to try and keep order. Weighing just 580kg and capable of 0-62mph in just 2.7 seconds, it’s perhaps the closest any road car gets to being a superbike. Its only driver has advanced-driver training, also rides a police motorcycle, and is also a collision investigator.

14: Segway (Germany)

With a top speed of 12.5mph, the two-wheeled self-balancing Segway scooter would seem to be a strange choice of police ‘car’. However, Segway released a special i180 Police package back in 2005, and Chicago ordered 100 of them in 2006. Segway followed it up with a police version of the i2 follow-up model.

They have been used for urban patroling during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and are thought to be in use by over 100 police agencies worldwide for use in environments like pedestrianised city centres, college campuses, airports and shopping malls.

13: Ford Sierra RS Cosworth (Britain)

With 150mph potential and four-wheel drive to help get the prodigious power down, the Cosworth-tuned Sierra was exactly what police forces needed to keep up with villains who had ever faster and more sophisticated get-away vehicles.

12: Honda NSX (Japan)

Famously engineered with the help of F1 star Ayrton Senna – whose McLaren race car was powered by Honda engines at the time – the mid-engined NSX remains one of Japan’s most celebrated sports cars. The NSX was sold as an Acura in North America, and this particular one was donated by Honda to the Tochigi Prefecture in central Japan and intended to chase modified street racing cars.

This first generation model was equipped with a 3.0-litre V6 which delivered 276bhp and a 168mhp top speed.

11: Renault Megane RS (France)

Not simply a PR stunt, the Gendarmerie’s Renault Megane RS is a common sight on French highways. Since 2011, Renault’s fastest and most powerful model has loaned its turbocharged four-cylinder engine to help law enforcement officials catch up to speeding drivers. The RS is certainly better suited to the job than a Peugeot Partner with a 89bh turbodiesel engine, the Gendarmerie’s other car of choice these days. It’s the modern equivalent of the A110 used nearly 50 years ago.

Sadly, its days may be numbered. An unverified report claims the RS fleet is too expensive to maintain so Gendarmes will instead employ some of the high-horsepower machines they seize to catch bad guys instead.

10: Audi R8 (Portugal)

This car was first owned by Argentinian soccer star Ángel Di Maria. It seems a later owner was a suspected drug dealer. Authorities in Portugal confiscated it in 2014 and instead of selling it as is usual, they decided to press the V8 supercar into service instead with the Polícia de Segurança Pública, a mostly urban police force.

9: Ford Escort RS Cosworth (Britain)

After the Sierra RS Cosworth came the Cossie-powered Escort, a rally car homologation special which featured a turbocharged 230bhp 2.0-litre engine; top speed was 150mph. This one was run by Northumbria Police in northern England. A total of 7154 Escort Cosworths were built between 1992 and 1996, and survivors are increasingly valuable.

8: Porsche 911 (964) (Netherlands)

A Porsche. Check. A 911. Check. A cabriolet. Check check. Yup, this Dutch police car is a cracker. The country’s national guard – the Rijkspolitie (literally ‘National police’) – was tasked with policing the country’s nascent motorway system in the 1960s, when they didn’t have speed limits, and needed fast cars to do it with.

It eventually bought 507 Porsches of various shapes and sizes, including this marvellous 911 964 Cabriolet. Sadly the force was abolished in 1993 and by the looks of things, the days of Dutch police Porsches are now behind us. Boo.

7: Dodge Viper (USA)

When the driver of this 2000 Dodge Viper tried to evade the police in Plainfield, Illinois, by driving at 127mph in a 35mph zone, he failed. The cops confiscated his car and added it to their Highway Patrol fleet.

6: Lotus Evora S (Italy)

Italy’s Carabinieri received a very useful delivery from Lotus in 2011. It received a pair of Evora S sports cars for use in traffic enforcement and – equipped with a fridge – for high-speed human organ and blood deliveries.

The force operated the cars for two years, and select drivers received special training in handling the cars from Lotus itself in Norfolk. The Evora S featured a Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6 with 345bhp and 295lb ft of torque, making the car good for a 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds and off to a top speed of 172mph.

5: Porsche 911 Targa (Austria)

The first Porsche-badged cars were made in Austria, so it's perhaps fitting that the country's gendarmerie used the 911. As with the 356 that came before, the Dutch, Belgian, German and Austrian police all had 911s on their highway patrol fleets.

This 911T Targa is unusual in that it features a rear windscreen wiper; let's hope the third cop in the picture has his own transport; the 911 isn’t ideal for carrying three policeman-sized adults...

4: Mercedes-Benz SLK (Bulgaria)

The SLK was a stylish and wildly popular cars at launch, but we can’t quite see why an SLK200 would find much to appeal to a police force. It only has two-seats, isn’t very fast, and has little carrying capacity for the kit most police cars cart around. Having said all that, we love it.

As this seems to be a one-off, as with other such cars in this story we can only assume it was confiscated from some unfortunate villain and pressganged into more wholesome service.

3: Ford Cortina Lotus Mk2 (Britain)

Some police forces used the original Lotus Cortina and while the second take on Ford’s hot saloon never captured the imagination like its predecessor, the Cortina Lotus Mk2 is still a very lovely (and swift) thing with its 1.6-litre twin-cam Lotus engine.

2: BMW Isetta (Germany)

Not all of Germany’s police were lucky enough to get into one of the V8-powered BMW saloons we saw earlier; most had to drive around in one of these titchy panda cars instead, with a 298cc two-cylinder engine. Fast, no. Notable, definitely.

1: Alpine A110 (France)

And Autocar’s most interesting police car,  is still… the Alpine A110. Not only do we love the car, but we also adore every aspect of this old school photo. The French Gendarmerie acquired a small number of A110s in 1966 when the government enacted strict speed limits and politely asked they be enforced as laws, not general suggestions.

The Gendarmerie deployed the A110 to catch speeding drivers who either hadn’t gotten the message or didn’t take it seriously. Power came from a 1296cc 4-cylinder engine, producing 123bhp. The lightness of the car - just 770kg - ensured sprightly performance for the time; 0-60mph took 8.2 seconds, with a top speed of 134mph. Probably annoyed by the coupé's cramped cabin, as already seen the force later added Citroën SMs to its high-speed fleet in the early 1970s.

The original A110 was produced between 1961 and 1977; 8201 examples were built. Renault acquired Alpine in 1973. Now we just need Les Flics to start using the recently reborn Alpine A110, which we think is a totally cracking car.

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