Tag Archives: police
Tochigi Police In Japan Gets A Nissan GT-R
It is not enough that there is literally zero crime rate in Tokyo, one of the megacities of the world. It is not enough that Japan has an exotic cuisine that serves live animals on a bed of ice. It is not enough that it has a street full of cosplayers and that grade school students there literally create robots out of boxes. How can Japan get any cooler? For the police in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture, it’s getting a rather special car—a Nissan GT-R, specifically.
The highway patrol unit of the administrative region north of Tokyo now has a Nissan GT-R complete with police livery and regalia, flashing lights, and everything else needed to help the GT-R run after fugitives.
The car was donated by a local businessman. It will be used to run after traffic offenders like speeding motorists and tailgaters. Coincidentally, the car doesn’t have to journey far from its facility to the destination point. The factory where Nissan manufactures the R35 GT-R since 2007 is only down the road from the police station.
The coupe hasn’t been used to chase any traffic offenders just yet. It has mostly been used to pose for cameras and to do PR stuff for the law enforcement.
If you think this is the first time that a performance car has been transformed into a police car, you clearly don’t know Japan or Nissan, for that matter. In the past, Nissan has turned its Skyline into a patrol car for Tokyo, so if you’re ever in the vicinity of the megacity, try and look for the R34 Skyline GT-R in all its glory. It has been so popular, in fact, that people keep uploading videos of its sighting on YouTube.
In a true megacity like Tokyo, it’s not a surprise to see performance cars being driven on its vast road network. That’s certainly very different for other Asian countries, whose cities like Beijing and Manila suffer from extreme traffic situations.
Lamborghini Huracan Joins Italian Police in Fight Against Crime
Lamborghini is truly one of Italy’s pride in the automotive world. Recently, the Italian Police got themselves a new Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 to aid them in their fight against crime around the Bologna region.
For some, the supercar might be too much for a law enforcement agency. First, it is too expensive because of its $200,000 price tag. Second, its 610 hp output is just overrated.
Then again, BBC claimed that the vehicle is a gift from Lamborghini to the Italian Police. So who in their right mind would turn that down? Moreover, in a police’s line of work, speed is definitely of the essence.
The Lamborghini Huracan can reach a top speed of 325 km/h. The one given to the police is equipped with state of the art technology to enhance its navigation, communication and security features.
The special car’s main features include a police radio, tablet computer, firearm holster, fire extinguisher, hand-held devices for directing traffic and video camera. It is also packed with medical kit for first aid and refrigeration system in its trunk for transporting human organs.
The exterior of the supercar gets a medium blue paint finish with white accents. The paint follows the official colors of the Italian police. A police siren sits on the roof of the car and its sides are marked with “Polizia”. It is fitted with P Zero Pirelli tires to complement its very sporty appeal.
It should be noted that it isn’t the first time for Lamborghini to donate one of its creations to the police force. Three years ago, the company gave the agency a Lamborghini Gallardo, which is the Huracan’s predecessor.
The head of the Italian State Police, Alessandro Pansa, took the delivery of the new Huracan. “This Lamborghini represents Italy and the quality of its people,” he said. “The same we find in both men and women who wear the uniform of the State Police,” he added.
Photos
Check out the photos of the new Lamborghini Huracan police car in the gallery below:
Video: Japanese Police Gets The Nissan 370Z
There seems to be a pervading trend now among the governments of first-world nations: use sports car as the official livery of the country’s police force.
Just recently, Nissan handed over three of its 370Z to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to show they are supporting the men and women in service of Tokyo, Japan.
The cars are all decked out in black-and-white regalia, complete with flashing lights and all the livery worthy of a police car. If one looks at the cars closely, they can also notice the Nissan badge at the front was replaced by the Tokyo police force’s shield.
Especially prepared by Nismo using the 370Z Nismo as donor, these three new police cars for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department will use Nissan’s familiar 3.7-liter V6 engine, based on a report. For these particular cars, the engine can deliver 350 horsepower.
Nissan provided the cars after the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department called on Japanese automakers to provide them with an “iconic car” that will help represent the department’s commitment to road safety in the city (and even in surrounding areas).
This was a similar strategy used by the UAE government, particularly Dubai, although things are quite different in that oil-rich country. For the Dubai Police Department, nothing short of the priciest sports cars can speak out against the deluge of high performance engines parading around the city every single day.
Exotic cars such as the Bugatti Veyron and the Porsche 918 Spyder make up the Dubai Police Department’s fleet.
Such a call from Japan (and even from Dubai) followed an announcement by Italy’s Carabinieri earlier this month that it has a handful of Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglios in its fleet.
Can you just imagine having a Bugatti for a police car? The Nissan 370Z is not in any way cheap, but the Bugatti, Porsche and Alfa Romeo are on totally different platforms.