The Quickest Police Cars In The World

Running from the police is, to be sure, not a great idea. But what to do if the bad guys are using some particularly fast cars, designed to outrun that run-of-the-mill Dodge Charger Pursuit, with nearly 400 hp under the hood? And the police chopper happens to be out of action?

Then one of the police cars on this list will have to be called upon to chase down the fleeing vehicle. These are the quickest police cars in the world – and some of them are so fast, their drivers require specialized training to ensure they can keep the car on the road, and not end up in a ditch.

10

BMW i8 AC Schnitzer

0–60 mph: 4.4 seconds

German tuning company AC Schnitzer, in partnership with the Association of German Automobile Tuners, created the BMW i8 police car in 2018. The plug-in hybrid i8 features a comprehensive carbon fiber body makeover, including a front spoiler and front side wings providing additional downforce, while a carbon “Racing” rear wing and three-part diffuser do their aerodynamic job at the back.

The i8 also gets an AC Schnitzer suspension upgrade. Lowered by 0.8 inches, it features new springs and some of Hankook’s finest performance tires. The handling set-up was fine-tuned on the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany.

9

Ford F-150 Lightning Pro SSV

0–60 mph: 3.8 seconds

Ford takes the fight to the bad guys with the latest Ford F-150 Lightning Pro SSV, an electric truck with two electric motors – one for each axle. With the Extended Range package, the Ford can reach up to 320 miles between charges.

Interestingly, the Los Angeles Police Department reported just over 4,000 police chases between 2018 and 2023. In those chases, the average distance the chases lasted was 4.71 miles, and the average speed was 46 mph. So that battery range will be more than sufficient in LA.

Top speed is limited to 110 mph, but with 580 hp and 775 lb-ft on tap, the Lightning gets to that mark so quickly it will easily keep up with the fastest cars around town.

8

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia

0–60 mph: 3.7 seconds

In 2004, Lamborghini donated a solitary Gallardo V10 to the Italian city of Rome’s police force. That car clocked up 87,000 miles in a short time. A 62,000-mile Gallardo working in the Bologna area joined the party later. In 2009, the Polizia replaced the original Gallardo with the latest Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. Yep, that’s a 560-hp V10 supercar, featuring all the standard police kit, such as a high-tech video system with real-time updates and police radios.

The all-wheel-drive LP560-4 frunk features a custom refrigerated compartment for the emergency transport of donor organs. About 30 Italian police officers received specialized driver training with Lamborghini to handle the LP560-4.

7

Aston Martin Vantage

0–60 mph: 3.2 seconds

The Dubai Police use a variety of cars. They include humdrum Dodge Chargers, Toyota Land Cruisers and BMW 5-Series cars, to name a few. And then there are the fast cars. Like Aston Martin’s latest Vantage, a 656 hp supercar. Powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, and with a top speed of 202 mph, it will chase down bad guys for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

That said, in a country where criminals are met with very harsh punishment, the crime rate is really low. Dubai’s police department uses the Vantage police car to patrol regular tourist and business areas, the car serving as a sign of the country’s prosperity and success. But we bet the police officer driving that Aston Martin is secretly hoping for that radio alert about a stolen Ferrari on the run.

6

Brabus Rocket

0–60 mph: 3.1 seconds

Bet you didn’t know there’s an official world land speed record for a police vehicle… and this is the German car that held the record in 2006, until being recently upstaged by another car on this list. The Brabus Rocket’s record was 227.2 mph. The Brabus also held the record for the fastest production and road-legal four-door saloon at the time.

The aptly named Rocket is based on the Mercedes-Benz CLS V12. For its new Rocket role, the Benz’s 5.5-liter V12 engine was enlarged to 6.3-liters and various other modifications resulted in 720 hp of power, combined with 810 lb-ft of torque. The maximum torque is limited to ensure the five-speed automatic gearbox can handle the power. Unlimited, it delivers close to 1,000 lb-ft.

5

Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 (Coptimus Prime)

0–60 mph: 2.9 seconds

In 2015, the New Braunfels Police Department in Texas confiscated a highly modified Chevrolet Corvette Z06 from a drug dealer. Instead of destroying the car or auctioning it off, the department decided to turn it into a police car.

Called Coptimus Prime, the modified Corvette Z06 reputedly has around 1,000 hp under the hood, offering blistering performance. But instead of using the Corvette to chase down bad guys on daily patrols, the police department uses it for promotional events, visiting schools and taking part in community events. The police department states it will eventually auction the car off. The funds raised will be used for community projects.

4

Lykan HyperSport

0–60 mph: 2.8 seconds

W Motors, the original high-performance Middle Eastern car company, first showed its Lykan HyperSport at the Qatar Motor Show in 2013. Only seven HyperSport supercars were ever made, and the Abu Dhabi police bought one of them. For the record, the Lykan HyperSport retailed for nearly $3.5-million.

The HyperSport is an opulent business. The LED headlights have hundreds of diamonds embedded in titanium blades. The exclusive and rare car is obviously not used for daily patrolling duties, but is rolled out for special events and displays. Famous German turning company RUF, which was also part of the HyperSport’s development, provided the twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter flat-six engine.

With a top speed of 251 mph, you’ll need a very, very special machine to outrun this cop car.

3

Bugatti Veyron

0–60 mph: 2.5 seconds

When VW Group chief Ferdinand Piëch revived the Bugatti brand, he probably never imagined that the Veyron would set a new Guinness world speed record… for the fastest police car. With a limited top speed of 253 mph, the Dubai Police Bugatti Veyron is recognized as the police car with the highest top speed in the world.

The Veyron has an 8.0-liter W16 engine with no less than four turbochargers. The engine’s 1,000 hp is transferred to all four wheels via a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox. Unrestricted, the Veyron can reach 268 mph… there are almost no cars on the planet that can evade the Bugatti during a chase. Not that Dubai Police use it to chase down Lamborghinis or Ferraris. Like the Aston Martin Vantage, the Veyron is used primarily for marketing Dubai to potential investors and tourists.

2

Tesla Model S Pursuit

0–60 mph: 2.4 seconds

On a more realistic level, Unplugged Performance’s Tesla UP.FIT Patrol car is a super-fast EV police car, with a host of upgrades to chase down the bad guys.

With a range of 402 miles, and a 0–60 mph sprint time of just 2.4 seconds thanks to the 670-hp drivetrain, the Tesla Pursuit features a number of upgrades. This includes forged 18-inch Police Wheels with pursuit-rated tires, a nudge bar to facilitate pit maneuvers, a custom high and low frequency siren system, roof-mounted, low-profile light bar, optional windshield lights, C-pillar color warning lights, rear-facing warning lights and department-specific livery.

Great news for the officers assigned to the Model S Pursuit is the super-luxurious and comfortable cabin… it’s like driving a dynamic limousine on steroids.

1

Caparo T1 RRV

0–60 mph: 2.3 seconds

In 2007, the Metropolitan Police in London revealed a partnership with the makers of the 205-mph Caparo T1, creating a vision of a futuristic rapid response vehicle, or RRV.

The Caparo has a mid-mounted IndyCar V8 engine, producing a handy 575 hp, and revving to 10,000 r/min. A Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox, fabricated from magnesium and carbon, sends power to the rear wheels. It can apparently complete a gearshift in 60 milliseconds. The T1 weighs just 1,040 lbs. With that kind of power-to-weight ratio, chasing down that gangster Dodge Challenger would be a walk in the park.

Sadly, due to a number of technical challenges – as well as a small matter of the depletion of funds – only about 20 cars were made before Caparo went belly-up in 2015.

Sources: Los Angeles Police Department, AC Schnitzer, Brabus, Ford, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Dubai Police, New Braunfels Police Department, W Motors, Bugatti, Tesla, Unplugged Performance, Caparo.