We already know that overseas, police cars are not the full-size cruisers we have patrolling our highways in America. But come on, there's a limit.
This Fiat 500, all decked out in police striping and with a little flashing light on the roof, was snapped while parading around Amsterdam with the Dutch police. Unfortunately, the text that came out of the online translator was about as intelligible as a tourist swaggering out of an Amsterdam "coffee shop", but as far as we can tell the car was used purely for demonstration purposes, much like Scotland Yard has displayed constabulary-striped supercars and F1 racers, before the law-enforcement markings were removed and the car went back to civilian duty.
It's a far cry from the Spyker C8 or the BMW M3 that the Dutch police showed recently, but this 500 just looks so darned eager to serve and protect, doesn't it?
[Source: AutoWeek.nl]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ahura @ Dec 19th 2007 3:30PM
I'm from the Netherlands and it is indeed just for fun. Looks funnny :)
MUSASHI66 @ Dec 19th 2007 3:39PM
back in the day, police in Yugoslavia used Zastava 750 as police cars, even smaller than this Fiat 500, it was a version of Fiat 600 from that time.
http://vkos.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/fico_milicija.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zastava_750
James @ Dec 19th 2007 6:41PM
This Murcielago police car is so much cooler:
http://www.sybarites.org/2006/11/03/london-police-receive-lamborghini-murcielago-lp640/
Willem B @ Dec 19th 2007 3:34PM
Here's a quick Translation for you:
This Fiat 500 was spotted in Amsterdam. The old adage “this hat will fit us all” it totally applicable to it.
No, the Amsterdam Police has no plans to use the “laurelled” (praised) fashion-vehicle as a service car. This road lice is equipped with the police stripes and lights only for this occasion. When it is done with the trip, it will be returned to it’s usual “civilian dress”. The cuddly little 500 would not fit in very well with the muscle (macho) culture of the Amsterdam PoliceCorps, but in the end, the police hat will fit us all. And obviously also the fashionable little Italians.
(Some meaning lost in translation due to colloquialisms, puns and proverbs)
Jon @ Dec 19th 2007 3:38PM
That thing couldn't chase down a pedestrian.
EMC @ Dec 19th 2007 4:32PM
Hahaha, you think that thing is tiny? You should see the police cars in china! I've got some photos from when I went over there last year.
Think vans the size of minis (the old one) or 3-wheelers ;)
jORGE @ Dec 19th 2007 8:33PM
i can see this car(not the police version) but the fait 500 to be a major hit in major US cities
ck @ Dec 19th 2007 10:43PM
Grr - the country is called 'the Netherlands'. (North and South) Holland are just two of the country's provinces. Admittedly the two largest and most important, population and economy wise, but provinces nevertheless.
It is akin to Non USAians referring to the whole of the USA as 'Dakota'
Daniel McNeill @ Dec 20th 2007 5:03AM
Stop growling, ck. Even the Dutch, in their own language often refer to the country as "Holland". It's an accepted and widely understood way of speaking, much as you might refer to your country as "America", despite the existence of other countries on the continent.
TRK @ Dec 20th 2007 5:31AM
The Polizei in Munich uses one MINI Cooper as Policecar,
Check out: http://www.benitezfoto.com/oktoberfest-wiesn/007-trachtenzug-besucher-polizeimini-pferde-oktoberfest-wiesn-muenchen-2005.html