cop car! :)

[PepperElf]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465329,00.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...w/4231942.html
(better photos at this one)

looks almost as good as the original KITT!

I really like this idea too... the flashing lights embedded in the frame look good, and hey that really is more aerodynamic.


heh and i love the "GOTCHA" on the front of the car. very cute!

As a leaner, niche-vehicle startup, Carbon Motors—started by ex-Ford executives—wants to deliver a high-performance, fully integrated patrol vehicle for roughly the same price as the retrofitted models currently on the road.

not bad too... close to the prices they're already paying and tailored to their needs?

hell i love it

[One-Fang]

...with a governed top speed of 155 mph...

So all you gotta do is 160 to get away ... good plan (to let people know it't top speed, I'm sure a discussion on upper limiting a cop car is a Fratching thing).

[Caveat Emptor]

<aussie accent>The last of the V8 Interceptors!</aussie accent>

[PepperElf]

So all you gotta do is 160 to get away ... good plan (to let people know it't top speed, I'm sure a discussion on upper limiting a cop car is a Fratching thing).

depends... on what the other cars have their governors set to.

according to wikipedia many performance vehicles are set to 155mph, so they'd still be slower than the cop car

[Chromatix]

Apparently German law requires the 155mph (actually 250km/h) limiter on all cars manufactured there. It probably goes with the many unrestricted autobahns there, so stop people going complete stupid on them. I believe there's a similar law in Japan, where some new cars are now limited *except* when their GPS recognises they're on a racetrack.

But there are plenty of cars with no such limiter. So limiting a police interceptor would be a Very Bad Idea in my book.

[crazylegs]

The idea of having a purpose built police car is a fantastic one. At the moment in the UK we have Vauxhall Astras and Ford Focus as the predominant models. None of them are built for the task, as such the radios have to built into place, the electronics for lights etc have to be put in the boot cutting down on space, as was mentioned, trying to sit in the thing with a kit belt can be nigh on impossible.

I'm not sure about the lights though, having a light bar on top of the roof aid visibility from a distance (IMHO) especially at something like an RTC, or a road closure, however having a true 360 degree view of the lights is A Good Idea.

[Chromatix]

ISTR the UK Police actually stockpiled Rover SD1s when they were about to go out of production, because it was literally the best car for interceptor duty at the time. A rare combination of good aerodynamics and a good engine, at a time when most cars were built like bricks.

Unfortunately there aren't any left in Police service, because they're too old. Volvos seem to be used well though - less for raw speed than for stability and space.

[XCashier]

That is one sweet-looking car! Very smart to design it specifically for the police rather than retrofitting an existing model. Like the "Gotcha" plate on the front! (Maybe it ought to be written backwards?)

Don't know about the backwards-opening doors on the back; I know it'd be much easier to put a perp in the back seat with those, and I can see there are no interior handles, but IIRC, those doors on ordinary cars were called "suicide doors" because they would pop open too easily.

[crazylegs]

Volvos seem to be used well though - less for raw speed than for stability and space.

Volvos tend to be used on the motorways, I don't normally see them in normal service, mostly because they're too large, our force specifically went from mondeos to focus because they're about 6-8 inches narrower, in our little country lanes that can make a difference.

Thing is we use one type of car for normal response, another few types for traffic duties, another type for dog units, another type for firearms officer... The list goes on because the needs are different for each unit, trying to find a car that will do all of the above will be very interesting indeed!