Law & Order on Wheels: 20 Coolest Police Cars in the World

2. The First Official Police Muscle Car – AMC Javelin AMX

Today’s law enforcement agencies use various vehicles in their patrols and other duties. But back in the days of original muscle cars, police cruisers were big, slow sedans. Detroit was producing fast cars capable of achieving high speeds and outrunning the police. Yet the cops still used large, heavy four-door cars.

But, in 1971, the Alabama State Troopers saw the need for fast, capable patrol cars to chase suspects. The cars also needed to be equipped with regular police equipment with enough space for two officers and their gear. After a short search, they decided to purchase an AMC Javelin AMX with 401 V8 engine and 335 HP.

If you are not familiar with this model, here’s just a short history lesson. The American Motors Company (AMC) was an independent car manufacturer they closed in 1987. They produced mostly economy cars, as well as a couple of muscle cars, with the Javelin being their most popular offering.

The Alabama State Troopers chose this car since it was one of the most affordable muscle cars available. They ended up buying 133 Javelins to use during the 70’s. This was the first time an official police force used a true muscle car. As many retired officers will testify, the Javelin proved to be the best choice for those highway chases.

3. Carabinieri Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Italy’s Carabinieri is a special Police force people respect all over the world. The members of the Carabinieri force go through tough, military-type training and are authorized to use deadly force at all times. They also have the best-designed uniforms in the police world and they drive Alfas.

In fact, the love affair between the Carabinieri and the Alfa Romeo dates to the 1950’s. This was when Alfas were the fastest mass-produced four-door sedans in Italy. Over the years, Alfas became signature cars. But, it was the introduction of the new Giulia Quadrifoglio that took the patrol car concept to another level.

With a 2.9-liter twin turbo V6 engine from a Ferrari, 505 HP and 0 to 60 mph times of just 3.9 seconds, the new Giulia Quadrifoglio is one of the fastest sedans on the planet. Dressed in gorgeous dark blue, white and red with flashing lights on the top, this car has to be intimidating knowing who is behind the wheel.

4. Dodge Polara

American police cars are interesting since they feature full-size body styles, powerful engines and tough mechanics. One of most respected classic police cars was the Dodge Polara 440 from the late 1960’s. All the full-size Chrysler models got fantastic new styling for 1969, affecting all brands from Dodge to Imperial.

This new design Dodge called the fuselage design featured rounded sides, a longer and wider body and a modern look. So, for 1969, they redesigned the Dodge Polara, making it better than ever. Since they introduced the new Polara in the height of the muscle car craze, the 440 V8 with 375 HP was the best choice.

Many law enforcement agencies bought the 440 powered Polara for the ruggedness and power. There are still some retired officers who claim the 1969 Polara with the 440 engine was the best patrol car Dodge ever built.

5. Lexus IS-F

The luxurious Lexus is not a common choice for police cars. However, the officers in England use the IS-F for everyday patrol, highway pursuits and high-speed responses. And if you think of it for a moment, their choice seems logical. The IS-F is a compact luxury sedan with four doors and high revving 5.0-liter V8 in the front.

With 417 HP and 0 to 60 mph time of 4.7 seconds, it is as fast as most sports cars and faster than everyday family sedans. The impressive performance makes it a good choice for almost all police needs. Since the Lexus is less expensive than the comparable BMW, Mercedes or Jaguar, it is easier on law enforcement budgets, as well as on UK taxpayers.

6. Autobahnpolizei Porsche 911

The Autobahnpolizei is a German term that stands for the Highway Police force. It is common in Germany, Austria and other German-speaking parts of Switzerland. Germany has vast networks of highways, most of which have no speed limits. There is a need for strong, well-equipped patrol cars capable of maintaining high speeds.

For decades, the Autobahnpolizei used Porsches for their patrol cars. The white and green color scheme became a normal sighting on Germany’s roads. The Porsche 911s the Autobahnpolizei uses comes with a heavy-duty suspension and brakes and the latest communication equipment. Also, they use the Porsche 911 as a high-speed pursuit car in Belgium and Netherlands, as well.

7. Honda NSX

In the 90’s, the Japanese car industry was full of interesting performance cars, so the local police forces used some of them for law enforcement work. And, one of the coolest Japanese police cars is the Honda NSX. The Japanese police force used bone stock examples of this 90’s supercar.

Except for the unique livery, light bar and a few other details, the white and black NSX is same as it was from the Honda factory. Behind the driver is the 3.5-liter V6 engine with 270 HP.

Despite delivering a great performance and high-speed stability of a mid-engine supercar, the Japanese police rarely used the NSX as they intended. First, Japanese drivers are extremely law-abiding, so cases of speeding are rare. Second, the traffic is heavy, especially in the cities, so there is no space to achieve high speeds.

8. Lamborghini Huracan

The Dubai police force is not the only law enforcement agency to use supercars. The Italians have one in the form of the gorgeous blue Lamborghini Huracan. And while Dubai`s supercars are mainly for show, the Italian police this Huracan is really for a variety of different purposes.

The Italian police needed an extremely fast car for high-speed pursuits and delivering important packages like organ transplants. They knew the Huracan would get them to the scene of highway accidents in a hurry. The regular police sedans are just not that fast, but the Lamborghini Huracan is, so they use it on a daily basis.

9. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X

Another innovative police car from the UK police force is the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. Although Evos are tuner cars often with outlandish body kits, big spoilers and loud exhausts, having this vehicle in your police fleet is clever.

First, the Evo X has 300 HP and intelligent all-wheel drive, making it safe to drive fast on UK`s notoriously rainy, greasy roads. Second, it comes in a regular sedan form, so it is practical with a big trunk. Third, most speeders use similar cars, so what better way to catch them than to use the same machinery? It’s a win-win for the UK police.

10. Holden HSV GTS

If you look at the Australian muscle car scene, it shows that the Land Down Under has a thriving performance car scene and some spectacular machines. So, it was just a matter of time before the Australian police decided to use that performance potential for law enforcement purposes. The latest and coolest addition to the Aussie police car fleet is the crazy Holden HSV GTS.

If you don’t know what this is, Holden is GM’s subsidiary. They produce family sedans with rear-wheel drive powered by common V8 engines. But, the HSV GTS is more than that. It is a four-door muscle car with a 6.2-liter supercharged Corvette engine with 640 HP. The HSV GTS also received numerous upgrades, police livery and a light bar, so it is ready to catch any speeding car in Australia in a matter of seconds.

11. Renault Megane RS Gendarmerie

The French are famous for their extraordinary sense of national pride. It could be why the French police only use cars from domestic manufacturers. From aspects of helping the national economy, this is a reasonable choice. But the French car industry lacks sports or high-performance cars. This means the national police, or Gendarmerie, have a tough time catching perpetrators with fast cars.

Fortunately, Renault has a solution in their Megane RS. It is a well-known and fast hot hatch with 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and 250 HP. It doesn’t sound like much, but the Megane RS is a compact, light car that can achieve 60 mph in just six seconds and top 155 mph.

Also, the French police acquired many blue Megane RS models in police specifications, so they cover the highways all over France. Although 155 mph is nothing compared to the speeds modern supercars reach, if somebody outruns the Gendarmerie Megane RS, it won’t outrun a police helicopter.

12. Ford Mustang SSP

One of the biggest automotive legends among law enforcement officers in America is the Ford Mustang SSP. This is a special-order package for Fox-body Mustangs from 1982 to 1993. Ford sold them to various agencies and military organizations. SSP stands for Special Service Package and includes a tuned 5.0-liter V8 engine, heavy duty suspension, engine cooling, brakes and more.

Ford developed the SSP package in early 80’s after the California Highway Patrol realized their officers were getting outrun by Porsches and other fast cars. To catch them, they asked Ford to produce a special package for Mustang. They wanted more power, high-speed stability, braking power and dynamics.

Ford responded with the SSP package and soon, no Porsche in California could outrun police cars anymore. The package proved popular. When production stopped in 1993, they built more than 16,000 Mustang SSPs. Ford sold them to numerous fleet buyers in almost all states, including Canada.

13. Nissan Skyline R34

One of the most legendary Japanese cars found its way into the Tokyo police car fleet as a high-speed pursuit car. It is one of the most popular tuner cars ever, so most people know about the Nissan Skyline R34. The 2.6-liter turbocharged six-cylinder with 280 HP, six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drivetrain makes the R34 an extremely capable, fast car.

Since the 2.6-liter engine is famous for its tuning ability and extremely high power levels with just a few upgrades, it is hard to believe the Japanese police resisted the urge to tune this fantastic car to its full potential.

14. Dodge Charger Pursuit

In 2006, after decades of using Chevrolet Impalas or Ford Crown Victorias, several U.S. law enforcement agencies turned to Dodge Charger. For over 12 years, this was one of the most popular police cars in America and they also exported it to several foreign markets. Although most people see this car on daily basis, it is undeniable this is one of the coolest police cars in the world.

The specs of the latest models are simply unbelievable. The fleet buyers have a choice of 3.6-liter V6 engine or fantastic 5.7-liter Hemi V8. Chargers can come with rear or all-wheel drive for demanding road conditions. All cars are equipped with special chassis reinforcements, front bull bars and heavy-duty components.

They include updated suspensions, braking, cooling and electrical systems needed for running advanced communication equipment and computers. Also, the Charger Pursuit comes with bullet-resistant front door panels that could save lives of officers on the job. The Dodge Charger Pursuit comes in various liveries for law enforcement agencies. But the ones you should look for are those undercover cars in plain colors without any visible police signs.

15. Citroen SM Gendarmerie

One of the coolest looking and most exclusive Citroen cars was the gorgeous SM, introduced in 1970. This elegant coupe had some very interesting features and when it was presented to the public it made the competition look and feel outdated and old.

The aesthetics were clearly French with hydro-pneumatic self leveling suspension and front-wheel drive, but instead of underpowered four cylinder engine, there was a 2.7-liter V6 developed by Maserati, which provided enough power for lively performance. The car was chosen by the Gendarmerie since it could cruise at high speeds which were ideal for catching criminals on the highways of France.

16. Ford Mustang Japan

The Mustang entered police force in America in the `80s when the SSP package was introduced. However, Japanese Police Forces used the Mustang long before their American colleagues did. In 1973, a brand new Mustang Mach I entered Tokyo police as high speed chaise car.

Back in those days, Japanese cars were all compact and slow so we are sure that the mighty Mustang Mach I had no problems outrunning anything on the road.

17. Volkswagen Beetle Germany

The VW Beetle is one of the definitive cars of 20^th century and since it was sold in over 22 million it is logical that it was used for numerous purposes. One of them is as a police car. In Germany and many other European countries, VW Beetle was a legitimate patrol car for many years.

We are sure that it didn’t exactly win any high speed pursuits and proven itself on the Autobahn, but for patrol work and as an urban police car the VW Beetle was more than appropriate.

18. Alpine A110 France

One of the best French classic sports cars was the Alpine A110. Produced from 1961 to 1977, the A110 was an incredibly light, fast and nimble coupe which proved itself on rally stages and won numerous events. However, it has also found use as a police car in France during the early `70s.

Since the A110 was very small, it could only sit two people so it wasn’t much in terms of comfort but for flying through narrow streets at high speeds and running down the highways it was pretty good.

19. Jaguar MK2 United Kingdom

In the early `60s, one of the best handling and performing sedans in the world was the beautiful Jaguar Mk II. With its 3.8-liter six cylinder, four wheel disc brakes and independent suspension it was as good as any high priced sports car form the period. That is why it was used by numerous bank robbers and criminals and soon earned it a nickname “Bank robbers’ express”.

British police had no choice but to include the Mk II in their fleet and soon, dozens of white Jaguars with police lights and sirens roamed the United Kingdom. Until this day, this is one of the coolest police cars ever used.

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This list of the top law and order on 4 wheels – coolest police cars in the world included vehicles from all over the world. Yet, they all share one thing in common: they are powerful, fast and more than capable of catching crooks.