Lambocop

I might could be a policeman in Italy.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/lambocop-stalks-italian-speeders/?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

You know, except for the minor detail of cost that would make a bada$$ car for the challenge next year.

See...I always wonder how much "active duty" these super-cop-cars actually see. Ya ya its cool to have a Lambo cop car to tote around your local jurisdiction, but with maintenance costs, finding responsible drivers (i mean really...if youre a cop with a lambo are you going to baby that thing?) and the attention that they get from people how practical is it? I can see it as a publicity thing...oh cool...Italy...Lamborghini...we get it...cute. I dunno...just always had me thinkin "it just don't make sense"...

Organ transport cooler. Awesome.

This thing has popped up on the web ofr the past couple of years.

It usually spawns a "ZOMG Check out these bomb-ass cop cars" thread seconds later.

Japan had R34 Skyine GT-R's at one point. I agree w/ procker, though. So many or them are for publicity (usually sezed cars done up in cop livery). Those GT-R's are as "realistically exotic" as they get, since in Japan, the maintenance costs wouldn't be ridiculous per se.

They claim that Lambo sees regular duty, but this is a car that generally sees 6000 miles/year and requires thousands upon thousands of dollars of maintenance. Not the type of thing that meets the requirements of a cop car.

Kind of a tangent, but why don't US cops use WRXs? Seems to me like you could cut down on fuel costs, chase bad guys better and get AWD for less than the cost of the Dodge Chargers I see round town.

WRX's only get 25mpg hwy, don't they???

Not much better than a V6 Charger. Not sure what the V8's do.

AFAIK our police officers are always going to use cars made by a US company, except under special circumstances

Around here, our police ride BMW motorcycles. The Harley dealership kicked and screamed and complained, especially since the Harleys were cheaper to buy as well as being instilled with American goodness. "But they cost a whole lot more to run", say the cops, "and the BMWs are a better choice in the long run".

On a side note, about three years later, the Harley dealership started selling BMW motorcycles.

I think Australia had some STi police cars for a while - back when the STi was a really special beast and not just a regular production model.

The UK has Lotus Exige cop cars, and they nearly had a Caparo T1 "rapid response vehicle."

When BMW built their plant in Greer, they started supplying BMW highway patrol cars, 740's and 850's. There's not many, maybe 5 a year and according to a SCHP customer there's a seniority system that determines who drives one.

I see a bunch of BMW cop bikes mixed in with the Harleys now. For a long time, the majority of the Columbia and Charleston cop bikes were Kawasaki KZ's.

TheBen wrote: Kind of a tangent, but why don't US cops use WRXs? Seems to me like you could cut down on fuel costs, chase bad guys better and get AWD for less than the cost of the Dodge Chargers I see round town.

Why not? Because it would be a shame to make a cop car out of something that wasn't totally E36 M3ty to begin with.

Jensenman wrote: For a long time, the majority of the Columbia and Charleston cop bikes were Kawasaki KZ's.

KZ1000 FTW. If it's good enough for Ponch, it's good enough for America.

If this site is anything to go by, it sounds like Italy does put some mileage on their Lambo police cars:

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/10/lamborghini-donates-new-gallardo-lp560.html

Florida Highway Patrol had Camaros for a while. Can't forget about the Notchback Mustangs from the late 80's/early 90's, either.

They should use the cars snagged from drug dealers more often. I would love to see an undercover Monte Carlo with 24s.

gamby wrote: WRX's only get 25mpg hwy, don't they??? Not much better than a V6 Charger. Not sure what the V8's do.

All our Chargers have Hemis. In fact, our entire fleet has either V8s or comes on two wheels.

The ones that really blow my mind are the Highway Patrol Chevy Silverados. 14 mpg, slow and they run at least 30 grand.

Has any one asked a cop in a charger if it has a hemi when they have been pulled over? I almost did, but I felt like leaving it at a warning...

ArtOfRuin wrote: If this site is anything to go by, it sounds like Italy does put some mileage on their Lambo police cars: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/10/lamborghini-donates-new-gallardo-lp560.html

OK--that is completely badass. I'd love to see what the upkeep bill on those things was.

BTW--the State Police Chargers around here look pretty neat, IMHO:

neon4891 wrote: Has any one asked a cop in a charger if it has a hemi when they have been pulled over? I almost did, but I felt like leaving it at a warning...

Ours are V6s. Slow, by the accounts of the cops.

In addition to the plain white camaros, Jefferson county here in North Florida has a white jaguar xj8 and a range rover that they use for speed patrol. And they start writing tickets at 75 on I-10. Bummer.

A few years back the SC HP had some unmarked Ford Thunderbird SC's. I had one turn around and run me down in my Pontiac Bonneville. I was doing 87 when he passed me in a curve on a back country road outside Anderson. I just floored it and figured since he had traffic to contend with to be able to turn around that he'd never catch me. I was wrong. I couldn't believe how fast he popped up in my rear view mirror. I pulled over into an abandoned service station and waited. All I got was the threat of jail time and a verbal warning. He didn't even run my license.

I saw some Honda Valkyrie law enforcement bikes in here in Jacksonville a few years back but I couldn't get close enough to see what jurisdiction they were from.

Way back when the Charleston PD had a poop brown late '70's Nova with mag wheels etc that they used for traffic enforcement on I-526. Allegedly it was a dope bust seizure, I do know it was pretty dang fast.

reminds me of a story from my B-I-L when he was at FT. Brag. NC troopers had a viper at either state border on I-90 and it was for passing the speeder and deploying stop sticks or a similar tire deflator at speed. Not sure if I want to call B.S. on his tory or not

I'd call BS. In a case like that, they'd just radio ahead and have someone deploy the stop sticks. Why risk a car etc?

Like my dad sez, 'Son, ya can't outrun that Motorola.'

i have noticed army personel B.S. at a high proficiency

CHP has a number of exotics that were claimed from busts or impounds, and put into service. This includes a Ferrari, that does actually do regular traffic patrol.

I believe CHP also had a number of Camaros for a while.