Top 10 police cars of all time

Say ’ello ’ello ’ello to history’s greatest cop cars

What makes a great police car? Is it an air of solid dignity that conveys the full majesty of the law in a sober, bell-ringing fashion? Or is it the opportunity to inspire motorists with dreams of legally piloting a sports car at top speed – with the bonus of other drivers pulling over at your command?

It could, of course, be watching a Daimler Dart chasing bad boys along the North Circular, or seeing a Ford Zephyr Farnham estate attending reports of a family having a picnic on the hard shoulder of the M1 – a not uncommon occurrence in the early years of British motorways.

Or it could be down to a TV appearance. Many can't imagine The Sweeney without its Consul GT or spot a Zephyr 6 MkIII without hearing the phrase: “BD to Z Victor One.”

Whichever is the case, there’s no disputing the greatness of these 10 historic cop cars.

1. Wolseley 6/80

First up is a police car that’s as emblematic of post-war London as Swan & Edgar in Piccadilly Circus, Button A/B telephone boxes and Lyons Corner Houses. 

London Metropolitan Police 6/80s entered service in 1950, in the form of Wireless Area Cars – with a roof-mounted antenna, offside wing mirror and, naturally, a Winkworth bell – and as Traffic Cars which featured all of the above, plus twin loudhailers mounted above the windscreen and illuminated police signs fore and aft.

Wolseley 6/80 (cont.)

To cope with the extra electrical kit, police 6/80s were equipped with a heavy-duty dynamo and the Met’s own engineers had to labour to combat the 2.2-litre overhead-cam engine’s chronic valve problems.

Despite the issues, the big Wolseley always looked splendidly authoritarian, had a top speed of over 80mph and – most importantly – the grille badge lit up at night. What force could ask for more?

To prove the point, the 6/80 remained in police service until 1963 – a full nine years after it was discontinued.

2. Hindustan Ambassador

It’s been 20 years since the Indian car market was liberalised but many police forces remain loyal to the Ambassador – a 1954 Morris Oxford Series II in another world – a car that has outlasted virtually the entire British motor industry.

On India’s rural roads, the Hindustan’s simplicity has proven attractive and, in any case, it’s hard to dislike a car whose maker claims the front bench can carry four occupants – ‘provided the driver is not too fat’. 

Hindustan Ambassador (cont.)

Besides performing police duties across much of India, Hindustan Ambassadors can still be found today variously acting as taxis and rides for high-ranking officials and politicians.

In fact, in 2010, a fleet of some 1000 Ambassadors was used to escort the competitors at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

3. Citroën Traction Avant

In post-war France, newspapers were filled with accounts of the nefarious activities of Pierre Loutrel – aka ‘Pierrot Le Fou’ – leader of the notorious Tractions Avant Bandits who specialised in jewellery heists.

As the name of his gang would suggest, Loutrel appreciated the Traction’s speed, roadholding and general ability to outrun Les Flics.

Citroën Traction Avant (cont.)

At the time, the Paris police force did not use Citroëns – but that was quickly changed in the face of rising crime statistics and ever more lurid press headlines.

Besides featuring in a Tintin kidnapping, two 15-Six versions of the Traction Avant were used for the 1960-’63 BBC series Maigret – one of which was later bought by lead actor Rupert Davis.

4. Jaguar S-Type

Between 1967 and ’68, the Metropolitan Police used a fleet of 83 Jaguar S-types (just three are known to survive) and they are regarded by many retired officers as the ultimate police car.

Traffic cars were white, while area cars were black – and both had klaxon air-horns and the traditional bell under the bonnet. In fact, the S-type traffic cars were the first white-liveried police vehicles deployed in London.

Jaguar S-Type (cont.)

An automatic ’box was a logical response to urban clutch burn-out and there were some 150 differences between the standard S-type and the police cars.

Ironically, the Met-spec hardboard dash and plastic interior cost the authorities a lot of dosh; tooling up for a limited run inevitably meant that the police Jags cost more than a standard model. 

5. Mini Cooper ‘S’

In 1965, Durham decided to replace its Austin Westminster with a Morris Cooper ‘S’ and, three years later, the Met tested a brace of the diminutive machines as traffic car – the idea being that the nippy, low-cost cars could cover twice the area of your standard, thirsty patrol car.

Mini Cooper ‘S’ (cont.)

The most avid user of the Mini, though, was Liverpool, which, from 1966 to 1971, had a 54-strong fleet of Coopers, until it eventually switched to Escorts.

Their engines were standard, but a widespread rumour that they were heavily tweaked did nothing to harm their reputation. Notably, all of the Liverpool Cooper ‘S’ Mk2s (see the fleet above in 1967) were Morris-badged.

6. BMW 501

A green Polizei 501 speeding down the autobahn was one of the most potent sights of the post-war German recovery. In the 1950s, it was the dream of many a Munich policeman to wear the leather jacket of the elite motor squad and drive a ‘Baroque Angel’.

In fact, the ’58 option of the 2.6 V8 proved so popular that BMW made 51 special police models, the last being produced as late as ’64.

BMW 501 (cont.)

The 501’s near-cult status wasn't harmed by the German TV series Isar 12. First airing in 1961, it pointed a spotlight on the work of police in Munich – and the lead double-act wouldn't be anywhere without their BMW patrol car.

In total, 35 episodes were made across three seasons, cementing the 501’s status in German pop culture – and doing several favours for BMW’s advertising department.

7. Porsche 912

Porsche’s last 356s were made for the Dutch police – so it was only natural that its successor should also rise to enjoy near-iconic status as a European patrol car.

Its combination of 356 engine and 911 body made it some 150kg lighter than the 911S, giving the 912 better weight distribution and handling – yet it could still hit 115mph and was much cheaper than even the base-model 911.

Porsche 912 (cont.)

Police usage wasn’t an afterthought, either: Porsche actually promoted the 912 Targa for that very purpose, wrapping some with police markings and fitting electronics for a loudspeaker and that all-important flashing light.

In April 1967, the 100,000th Porsche – a 912 Targa – was delivered to the Baden-Wurttemberg state police, complete with engraved plaque. Besides Germany, police 912s could be found in the Netherlands, Belgium and even Japan.

8. Ferrari 250 GTE

Back in the early-’60s, Rome had a little bit of a crime problem – and so the Squadra Mobile arrived.

A fast-response unit set on stopping criminals at any speed, the squad needed some suitably speedy vehicles. What better, thought then-president Giovanni Gronchi, than the Ferrari 250 GTE? 

Enzo Ferrari couldn’t have agreed more, seeing the opportunity to sell police-equipped 250s to forces across Italy – and so two new black numbers were presented to the force.

Ferrari 250 GTE (cont.)

Alas, one of the cars was almost immediately written off: attempting to give chase to an errant motorist on the autostrada, a police driver – perhaps not accustomed to the 250 GTE’s 3-litre V12 and 240bhp – planted it on the slip road.

Happily, the second GTE remained in service with the legendary Armando Spatafora – a man so fast that Enzo once offered him a race seat with the factory team and a film, Highway Racer, was based on his life – until his retirement in 1969.

9. Range Rover

Forty-three years ago, virtually the only British-built non-utility vehicles with four-wheel drive were the Jensen FF and a handful of Ferguson-converted MkIV Ford Zephyr 6s – so the arrival of the Range Rover could not have been better timed.

The first police version was launched in September 1970, equipped with a 60Ahr alternator, a split-charge facility for the two-way radio, plus various other electrical mods and a re-calibrated speedo in the centre of the dash.

Range Rover (cont.)

Cheshire Constabulary was the first force of many to adopt the Range Rover in April 1971, beginning a whole new era in traffic policing – especially on motorways.

It wasn’t just the UK, either: London’s FLM Panelcraft converted several to four-door setup for the Bahrain police. To this day, the versatility of the Range Rover remains desirable to police and the Met has recently deployed the Vogue in service.

10. Alfa Romeo Giulia Super

The Giulia Super has a fair claim to being one of the greatest police cars of the ’60s and ’70s.

In 1963, 400 of the 501 Giulia Ti homologation specials were purchased by the Italian police and, when Alfa launched the Super in 1965, its 1570cc motor – good for 115mph – and all-round disc brakes made it look like the ideal autostrada patrol car.

The Alfa even spawned its own nickname: the Pantere (‘Panther’).

Alfa Romeo Giulia Super (cont.)

In truth, many of the Italian police’s Giulias were in fact standard models, with the TI Super-style mesh at the nose reportedly fitted to make the siren louder.

Nevertheless, the Giulia’s fame was celebrated in countless crime flicks, all concerning the adventures of a trigger-happy police inspector at the wheel of a Super – a plotline of greater plausibility than a fleet of police Alfas being unable to catch a trio of bullion-laden Mini Coopers…