Lotus Evora Tries Out Police Uniform in the UK

Lotus has loaned a brand new Evora to the boys in blue at the Central Motorway Police Group (CPMG). The police-liveried version of the British sports car was officially revealed at this week's Autosport International Show at Birmingham’s NEC. Once its show duties are over, the sports car maker will hand the keys of the Evora to West Midland's police officers who will then trial the car for a two week test period.

Gino Rosato, Director of Corporate Operations at Lotus comments: ‘Lotus is proud to take part in this and similar initiatives to help create a safer road culture for our customers and other road users. We believe that you do not have to compromise fun for speed and to that effect we build sportscars that are fun to drive within legal limits! We will be working with Officers from CMPG to teach them how to get the best from the Lotus Evora at our test track to ensure that any high-speed activity is as safe and effective as possible.”

PC Steven Rounds from, CMPG said: “The Lotus is a visually stunning machine which offers us the opportunity to engage with the public, reinforce and promote the life-saving messages of road safety.”

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British Man Fined for Warning Other Drivers of Speed Trap by Flashing Lights

If there’s one thing all car enthusiasts can agree on, it’s that speed cameras are a nuisance. Back in the good ol’ days, you would see the van or a sign indicating a fixed camera long before you came to it. You’d slow down, pass by it and then speed up again. Don’t be shy, we all do it. Now, these so-called “life savers” hide behind bushes in unmarked vehicles, all the while speed related deaths and injuries continue to rise.

In what I’ll fancifully describe as the government’s latest bid to demoralise its citizenry, a British man has been fined £175 (US$279) and ordered to pay £265 (US$412) in court costs and surcharges after flashing his lights seven times at oncoming motorists in July of last year. Why was he flashing his lights? To warn them of a speed trap, of course.

The man, Michael Thompson, was in the Grimsby Magistrates’ Court last week where the verdict was handed down. The charge was “willfully obstructing a police officer”, which Mr. Thompson disputed in his hearing. He claimed that he was trying to warn motorists of the trap to prevent them braking suddenly upon sighting it – a cause of many-a rear-end collision.

Mr. Thompson was pulled over by police in his home town of Grimsby. In the hearing, it was revealed that the officer told Mr. Thompson that what he had been doing was perverting the course of justice, to which he replied, “I don’t believe that’s the case.” The officer then said, “I was going to let you off with a caution – but I’m not now.”

In my opinion, it’s hard to see how it that could be perverting the cause of justice, unless “justice” is catching motorists speeding and not preventing accidents. When questioned whether the case was absolutely necessary, a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) responded:

"Cost is not a consideration in our decision to prosecute. When a file is provided to the CPS from the police, it is our duty to decide whether it presents a realistic prospect of conviction and whether a prosecution is in the public interest. In accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors a prosecution was deemed appropriate.”

Though Carscoop does not endorse speeding or breaking the law, it’s hard to see how this latest case is in the public interest. You would think getting motorists to slow down through blackspots (this being the original purpose of speed cameras) would be more important than revenue raising, but then I don’t work for the British government. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Via Telegraph

VIDEO: Female Driver in Camaro gets Cornered by Police but Doesn't Know When to Stop...

Trying to get away from the police in the first place is downright stupid, but the female driver of this fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro drop-top took stupidity to a whole new level when she tried to rear-end / ram a police car that had her cornered on the road. The lady driver huffed and puffed her Camaro's rear wheels but in the end, she gave up. As for the driver of the older-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan that can't make a turn, the video speaks for itself.

Source: Youtube , Via: Autoblog

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VW Offers Chattanooga Police Jetta SportWagen TDIs to Keep Residents / Speedsters Safe

Now we've officially seen it all; a body-kitted German station-wagon running on a [relatively] small displacement four-cylinder diesel engine as a Sheriff's Department patrol car. And all thanks to VW's decision to donate two custom-made Jetta SportWagen TDI vehicles to the law enforcement departments of the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.

The donation was made as part of Volkswagen's ongoing efforts to reach out to the community of Chattanooga, where the German automaker is building a $1 billion plant that will produce among other cars, the New Midsize Sedan (NMS) starting from next year.

Volkswagen said its engineers and designers overhauled the white Jetta SportWagen to incorporate special features including custom-built enclosures and mounts that hold all the communications and emergency lighting gear in place.

The car gets a body kit with front and rear aprons, and side skirts as well as 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40 18" Goodyear Eagle GT All Season tires.

Under the hood, the Jetta SportWagen features VW's 2.0-liter TDI clean diesel four-cylinder engine with 236 ft.-lbs. of torque, that returns up to 42 miles per gallon on the highway.

Official Statements:

"Volkswagen is thrilled to be able to provide technologically advanced Jetta SportWagen vehicles to both the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County police departments to help keep the area safe while driving in a reliable, versatile and stylish vehicle," said Frank Fischer, Chairman and CEO of Volkwagen's Chattanooga

"This generous gift is much appreciated and will be a welcomed addition to our expanding Chattanooga Police Department," said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. "We applaud Volkswagen for their continued investment in our community."

"Since Volkswagen announced their billion dollar investment in Hamilton County they have demonstrated numerous times their willingness to be a good corporate neighbor," said Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey. "Today's gift of two law enforcement vehicles is further proof of Volkswagen's commitment to Hamilton County and we thank them for their generosity."

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Hyundai Becomes Preferred Supplier for UK Police

Bob Dylan once said, "The Times They Are A-Changin'." If you lived in Britain in the 1950s and '60s, you'd see custodian helmeted policemen driving around in Morris Minors and Ford Anglias. In the '70s you'd see mustachioed policemen driving around in Ford Consuls and Rover 3500s. Then the '80s rolled around and there were policemen and women cruising around in Rover SD1s and Land Rovers.

Then, starting from the late 1980s, something strange happened. Rover - one of the most British of carmakers - started rebadging Hondas. In the 1990's, Germans, who had lost the War, began buying all of Britain's beloved marquees. And the UK Police, who had always bought British before, began buying Mitsubishis. The world had gone mad.

Now, in 2010, Hyundai has been awarded 'preferred supplier' status by the National Association of Police Fleet Managers. That means the UK Police Forces can buy Hyundai's new vehicles.

It's a big sales and publicity boost for Hyundai. Each year, 2,000 cars are acquired by London's Metropolitan Police and a further 7,800 are acquired for work outside the city.

Managing director of Hyundai UK, Tony Whitehorn, said: "Anyone buying a car needs to make sure that they are getting the best possible package for their money. That's especially true when you are buying thousands of vehicles and spending taxpayers' money! The quality, reliability, resale value and performance of Hyundai vehicles has shone through and they've been given the green light to carry a blue light."

Hyundai said the most popular vehicles are expected to be the i20, i30, ix35, Santa Fe and iLoad van. Can you imagine an i20 police car? Doesn't the mere thought of it make your skin crawl?

For the time being, here's an ix35 / Tucson in police livery. It's an okay looker, though doesn't look half as smart as a Land Rover in the same outfit. Maybe I'm just bitter. Oh well, at least Officer Plod will have iPod integration and ESC as standard. That'll show them hoodlums whose boss.

By Tristan Hankins

2011 Dodge Charger Facelift Shown at Police Fleet Expo [with Video]

Following on from some revealing reader spy photos and an official, single teaser image of the Pursuit car version of the redesigned 2011 (or 2012MY) Dodge Charger, we now have a walk around video of the facelifted model shot during the Police Fleet Expo.

The differences between the civilian and police versions of the 2011 Dodge Charger are limited to the decals and the necessary police car equipment, so what you see here in terms of sheetmetal changes is what you'll get when the sedan arrives in showrooms later this year.

The videos give us another look at the sedan's redesigned exterior that features a reworked and angrier looking front end with new headlamps and a fresh interpretation of the firm's trademark cross hair grille, as well as of the re-sculptured profile and the new rear end with a full-width tail light design similar to the Challenger.

In addition to the freshened exterior design, the 2011 Charger will also benefit from a revamped interior with a new dashboard styling and higher-quality materials, and an upgraded engine line up that will include the Chrysler Group's new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6, which is good for 290-horsepower in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Expect a full revealing of the 2011 Dodge Charger within the next few weeks.

Source: Youtube / Lundindustries , Via: Allpar

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