By FREDA LEWIS-STEMPEL
There are police cars and then there are police cars.
While Britons caught committing motoring offences are typically used to being pulled over by coppers in mundane Ford Focuses, Vauxhall Astras and Volvo SUVs, there are some patrol vehicles used in the UK and further afield that are far more interesting.
And while there are host of police supercars out there - including the £2million Lykan Hypersports in Abu Dhabi - we're not so interested in those.
Instead, we're fascinated by the police cars that are so whacky that you would barely believe your eyes if it was in pursuit.
These are the cop cars you can't quite believe someone at the police commission signed off for official use.
From micro bubble cars to hoverbikes, here are seven cop cars that will almost make you want to be summoned by a traffic officer.
Catching criminals in style: This classic Ferrari 250 GTE Series II, was used by the Polizia for high-speed chases in the 1960s - arguably the rarest and most-elegant cop car of all time
Armando Spatafora (pictured) was reunited with the Ferrari some 16 years later when the car was taken by its then owner to the Coppa delle Dolomiti race in 1984. The retired policeman set the second fastest time overall in his trusty patrol car
Millions of people dream of owning a Ferrari.
And the legend goes that one such person was policeman Armando Spatafora of the Rome Polizia.
Despite the force graduating from Alfa 1900s to Guilia saloons in the 1960s, the Italian criminals were able to outrun (or outdrive) the rozzers and a solution was needed.
And so Spatafora had the selfless idea to cement his dream and improve the Polizia’s power by telling the top brass he needed a Ferrari.
He apparently argued: ‘What could be better than a Ferrari?’
The car was sold by vintage car dealer Girardo & Co based in Milan. The fee for the vehicle was undisclosed and was only revealed to those who can prove they could afford the iconic machine
The sister car to chassis #3999 was destroyed within weeks of being put into service. In contrast, the car for sale went on to chase down criminal for six years before being retired from the force
The police force in Rome were issued with two Ferraris to use for high-speed pursuits of criminals through the capital city
Point well made, it was somewhat unbelievably equally well received and between 1963 and 1968 a Ferrari 250 GTE, chassis #3999, finished in black with hard-wearing tan leather interior, was on active duty.
The 250 GTE was the Prancing Horse’s first production 2+2 which featured a 3.0-litre naturally aspirated V12. It produced 240bhp.
Spatafora was one of only four people allowed to drive it, and apparently he and his 250 GTE became so legendary that the city’s criminals considered a badge of honour to beat them.
It went up for sale in 2020 for an undisclosed sum.
In 2010 the Lincolnshire Police force wanted to put on a show of strength as part of Operation Fusion - the force's initiative to fight rural crime - and bought a £50k John Deer tractor
Considering it’s unlikely to outpace even an escaped horse, you might wonder why Lincolnshire Police went full Wurzels by having a tractor as a police ‘car’.
After a spate of agricultural crime in 2010, the Lincolnshire Police force wanted to put on a powerful show of rural strength as part of Operation Fusion - the force's initiative to fight rural crime.
Costing around £50,000 at the time, and weighing five tons, a John Deer 6630 with a top speed of 25mph was purchased. The initiative was a show of solidarity with farmers who had their tractors stolen by thieves with no consideration for how a farmer’s livelihood is dependent on these huge vehicles.
It was the hope of the police force that it would encourage farmers to tag their tractors properly to avoid them being pinched too.
Chief Inspector Phil Vickers, who came up with the idea, said: ‘The tractor looks like a bit of fun but there is a serious message behind it – that we take rural crime seriously and want to work closely with our local communities.
'At this time of year agricultural crime can have a big impact on farmers because if a tractor is stolen people can lose their jobs or livelihood.
‘That’s why we are trying to make people aware of all the deterrents that are available and encouraging farmers to avoid becoming victims by tagging their vehicles.’
Hard to make an arrest: The micro BMW Isetta was used by German police post-war but you couldn't fit a badly behaved offender in with the officer as it only had one seat
3. BMW Isetta bubble car (Germany)
You see a bonkers microcar as a police car, and you'd be forgiven for jumping to the conclusion it’s Italian.
But no, in this case the teeny tiny and somewhat absurd police vehicle belonged to Niedersachsen Polizei in Lower Saxony, Germany.
The Isetta microcar first came to providence in Milan, Italy (there’s the Italian element) and went on to be built in several different countries.
However, it was BMW that gave it a full production career in Germany.
The Isetta was chosen because it was cheap, reliable and easy to fix, although not exactly practical...
Isetta bubble cars, fitted with a radio and single blue flashing light and finished in regulation police green, were in active service in early 60s
Police departments in Germany post-WWII didn’t have much money, and so a police car that was economical, simple, easy to fix and reliable was top of the list and the Isetta, although an unconventional choice, fit all those needs.
So, the Isetta bubble cars, fitted with a radio and single blue flashing light and finished in regulation police green, were in active service in early '60s.
Mad at the time, but able to fetch mad amounts at auction too; one ex-police Isetta from Lower Saxony sold at auction in 2013 for $86,000.
In 2019 the first S3 2019 Hoverbike – which uses a hybrid engine - was delivered to Dubai police by manufacturer Hoversurf, a California-based company specialising in urban air mobility
Dubai is a step into the future, and a giant leap into the world of uber-luxury, and it seems the police are very happy to splash cash to ensure public safety in all areas.
In fact, Dubai police are renowned for having many a crazy car - from Bugatti Veyrons to Lamborghini Aventadors and Tesla Cybertrucks.
But their acquisition of hoverbikes in 2017 goes beyond the flashy and impressive, flying straight to the top of the absurd list.
In 2019 the first S3 2019 Hoverbike – which uses a hybrid engine - was delivered to Dubai police by manufacturer Hoversurf, a California-based company specialising in urban air mobility.
At the time Brigadier Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi, general director of Dubai Police’s artificial intelligence department, said the electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) would be a first responder unit used to access hard to reach areas.
Costing £114,000 ($150,000), each the flying bikes are not cheap and take many hours of specialist training to pilot.
If you want, you can look at the police force testing them out on YouTube. You can also see one crashing in a now viral training video (the driver was uninjured).
In the video the hoverbike and rider take off before then rapidly descending, losing control and futuristic hoverbike crashes into the ground and flipping over.
Hoversurf said it was due to a mechanical failure, likely caused by the driver pushing the bike to 100ft, while it has a safe operating altitude of up to 16ft.
Hoverbike safety issues are still facing teething problems which include; mechanical and electronic failures, the need for specialized driver training, the need for designated zones and limited battery power problems causing power cut outs.
In 2017 the Isle of Man Constabulary revealed is brand-new 305bhp, BAC Mono - the only single-seater supercar police vehicle in the world
While Lincolnshire has tractors, the Isle of Man has a £124k single-seater supercar as a cop car.
The small, self-governing island off the coast of the UK, famous for the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) – one of the most dangerous motorcycle road racing events in the world – is the only place in the world to have a Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) Mono supercar patrolling its streets.
In 2017 the Isle of Man Constabulary revealed is brand-new 305bhp, BAC Mono.
Capable of reaching 170mph and doing 0-60mph in just 2.7 seconds thanks to its 580kg weight, it's under the driving stewardship of lucky PC Andy Greaves.
Capable of reaching 170mph and doing 0-60mph in just 2.7 seconds thanks to its 580kg weight, lucky PC Andy Greaves gets to drive it to keep festival goers in line on the island
The £124,000 supercar was originally tested on the Isle of Man so it's a natural home for this patrol car
BAC Mono actually used the Isle of Man’s mountainous sections during the vehicle’s testing, so it seems a suitable home for the car.
And it's the perfect vehicle to keep up with racing enthusiasts who flock to the TT every year.
Primarily used to encourage responsible driving during festival season, kitted out in the full blues-and-twos livery, it’s hard to miss on the small island.
In 2010, Hampshire police constructed the pedal-powered patrol car for the British Pedal Car Grand Prix along with students from Ringwood Comprehensive School
Technically this car isn't on active patrol, but we're counting it anyway because was a display and community vehicle that entered into a race.
In 2010, Hampshire police constructed the pedal-powered patrol car for the British Pedal Car Grand Prix along with students from Ringwood Comprehensive School.
The £1,000 car, complete with Hampshire Constabulary's livery, took 40 hours to build and had a roll bar for crash protection, flashing blue lights, a siren, five gears and could go up to 20mph.
This speed though required the driver, PC Keith Waller, to pedal to the metal.
Showing that some whacky police cars can raise community spirit, the project aimed to make police seem 'cooler' and more approachable to young people.
As you can imagine it did draw comparisons to Mr Plod from Noddy.
Dutch police have one of, if not the, most eye-catching liveries on their cars. But the coolest part was from the late 60s when the neon orange and blue appeared on Porsche Targas
We’re breaking our rule slightly here to include a livery rather than a car itself, but we feel the Dutch police car livery deserves its own mention.
Not least because the patriotic neon orange striped livery made it onto the Dutch police’s famed fleet of Porsches.
In 1962, The Netherlands had unrestricted motorways and Dutch cops needed high-performance cars to prevent dangerous driving and accidents.
The first cars were finished in white, with just ‘Rijkspolitie’ on the front, a light pole attached to the windscreen and a siren attached to the rear
So, in 1962, the Dutch police chose Porsche to increase the capabilities of its fleet. Why? Because the pursuit vehicles needed to be open-topped to allow an officer to stand up and direct traffic from inside the vehicle, and the 365 Cabriolet allowed just that.
The first cars were finished in white, with just ‘Rijkspolitie’ on the front, a light pole attached to the windscreen and a siren attached to the rear.
In 1967 when the Targa launched, replaced the Cabriolet and the eye-watering crosshatch orange and blue design continued across the fleet – including 964, 993, a few 914s and 924s.
Although no longer used today on Porsches, the livery is still going strong, albeit on less interesting cars.
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