TOP 10 POLICE CARS 10-6

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Here are 10 panda cars you don’t want to mess with. Because while squad cars like the Vauxhall Omega and Volvo estate are a regular sight on our roads, some police jobs require something a little more potent and special.
From Lamborghini Gallardos in Italy to Mitsubishi Evos in the UK, we take a look at the best patrol cars in the world – and hope we never run into one…
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10: Lotus Esprit S4
Italy might have Lamborghini and Ferrari, but England has Lotus and the Esprit S4 is arguably up there with these lusted-after exotics. With the engine in the middle, drive channelled to the rear wheels and a 3.5-litre V8 providing forward momentum, the Esprit is a seriously swift machine and, as a police car, it is as deadly as a rusty scalpel. Unfortunately, it is believed the Esprit in these pictures was nothing more than a publicity stunt to promote sales, and normally we would leave it out, but the idea of a Lotus Esprit police car is too good to overlook.

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9: Rover SD1
In the ‘70s and ‘80s the Rover SD1, complete with blue lights and stripes, was a familiar sight on UK roads – and a formidable foe for any criminals stupid enough to cross it. Police forces favoured the range-topping 3.5-litre V8 for obvious reasons, proving so suitable for their needs they stockpiled SD1s when it went out of production in 1986. Made popular from TV shows like The Professionals and The Bill, it has enjoyed a cult following in the UK since, but rust problems mean few exist today. Confusion remains over its name: some people claim it's called SD after Solihull Design (where it was built), others speculate that it was abbreviated from Specialist Division, hinting at its ability. All we know is that it's great.

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8: Skoda Octavia vRS
Erm, have we lost our minds including a Skoda Octavia among our 10 best police cars ever? No, because this vRS version is about as understated as a Vauxhall Astra beat car, but a lot more potent. It’s the previous Octavia which gets a 180bhp turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol engine, enough oomph to speed it to 60mph in under eight seconds and on to 140mph. You’re unlikely to see one dressed up as a jam sandwich, like in our photos, though. So discreet is the vRS that many police forces use it as an undercover car, lulling speeding motorists into a false sense of security, then pouncing like a hungry lion. Look out for the lights in the grille and extra aerials on the roof

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7: Spyker C8
The Dutch have liberal views when it comes to drugs and sex, but they’re deadly serious when it comes to high performance cop cars. As you can see here. This is the Spyker C8, a Dutch-built supercar that, as a promotional exercise, was converted into one of the craziest police cars we’ve ever seen. If it were actually in use it could reel in speeding supercars fairly easily given that under its light skin sits a 395bhp 4.2-litre V8 engine that promises 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 187mph. Only slightly slower were the Porsche 911 partol cars used by the Dutch highway patrol in the 1980s.

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6: BMW 5-Series
Compared to some of the other cars on this list, the BMW 5-Series isn’t quite as exotic or exciting. In fact, with a 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine you might even argue that it’s bordering on boring. But you’d be missing the point because this is one of the greatest cars the police have at its disposal and as such is a favourite in police garages across the country. The Metropolitan Police’s S019 armed response team, for instance, use it for its tremendous potential, space for four or five tooled-up men and a boot big enough to house a small army’s arsenal.
Best of all is that it will get about 35mpg, making it reasonably economical. So at least all our hard-earned tax money isn’t being spent on fuel.

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