Any other police departments that did this or just those two?
pjc50 1 days ago [-]
UK police have had various types of Jaguar over the years; there was a period where the original Mark 2 Jag could outrun the police, so they had to buy some as well. The Mark 2 became ubiquitous in police procedural TV shows, usually driven by criminals, but also Inspector Morse.
In Italy the Carabinieri[0] used to have a Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 in the '60s. The car is still around[1] and is legally allowed to go around with the original "police colors" even tho it's now owned by a private collector.
There's plenty more modern sport cars these days, in various countries.
the state of Austria usually buys its police cars from Porsche (the dealer not the carmaker) guess, that doesn't count. but Austria had Porsches (some of them 911) in the 60s
TitaRusell 1 days ago [-]
Highway patrol back when the regular police drove Beetles.
In 4 four years, they managed to total 4 of them (from the 26 brought in 2021).
bionsystem 1 days ago [-]
Alpine is (was ?) a Renault brand, which is a French company, so it is a little less exotic than a Japanese police force buying a German car (Japan being such a massive car exporter themselves).
sieabahlpark 1 days ago [-]
[dead]
smackeyacky 1 days ago [-]
Bit of a shame what has happened to classic Porsche prices. They used to be “car guy” cars. Now the prices went wackadoodle they’ve become cars for people who…aren’t car guys and can’t even pronounce it properly.
Interesting history on that one, bit of an odd choice for the Japanese police.
1 days ago [-]
close04 1 days ago [-]
That's what happens to things when they become status symbols. They're chased for status. Not the case for Porsche but sometimes that object ends up losing all the core value, pushing away the original fans, and rides the status wave until there's nothing left to offer.
testfrequency 1 days ago [-]
My love for Porsche almost completely stopped as soon as I moved to the Bay Area.
fragmede 1 days ago [-]
Why? Because you could afford one? Or because you everyone else could? If your love for them was based on other people not having one, and not for love of the machine, can you really call yourself a fan?
cucumber3732842 1 days ago [-]
Because of the kind of other people who had them and how he felt that reflected on him.
Having a cool old project car is less cool when everyone else is some jerk who bought into it.
testfrequency 1 days ago [-]
Note I said “almost completely”. You also decided to interpret my response as I only cared about scarcity..which is a choice.
To answer: There’s only so many times you want to strike up a friendly conversation with a driver about their lovely car, only to be met with them having no clue about their bespoke vehicle, or even worse - the pitted feeling that they are somehow superior.
Porsche drivers in most of places I’ve lived do not behave this way. You will have a better time and luck in the Bay Area chatting cars with someone who drives a Ferrari or McLaren (or a Mazda to make it clear it’s not simply value) than a Porsche owner.
As a petrol head, I’m saying it’s sad that most tech bros buy these over the top track cars and don’t know much about them besides the paint color or alcantara.
fragmede 1 days ago [-]
then again, you what Alcantara is.
tonyedgecombe 1 days ago [-]
>Not the case for Porsche
I'd argue it is, at least once they started making more SUV's than 911's.
pjc50 1 days ago [-]
The Porsche SUVs deeply offend me aesthetically. The proportions are just wrong and the curve doesn't adapt across the body, so it looks like a monster truck. Far more so than things built to be that size (Land Rover and imitators).
teruakohatu 1 days ago [-]
Wait till you see Lambo’s SUV!
pjc50 1 days ago [-]
The Urus? It's .. actually not too bad. It's "not a Lamborghini", in that it looks completely different from the classic low wedge shape, but once you accept that there's no way to do "low wedge, but higher" and look at it on its own it looks alright. It's quite an aggressive look, "angry car face", but that feels appropriate for Lambo.
smackeyacky 1 days ago [-]
It didn’t have to be that way but badge engineering a VW wasn’t a great idea. Then again I know nothing because they sell a ton of those things.
fragmede 1 days ago [-]
Then again, the 911 still comes in stick shift. But not as default. They also come in electric. Every petrolhead has a different reason to hate Porsche. And Lamborghini. And Ferrari.
Porsche has one duty to its shareholders. Keep existing. They do that by selling cars.
close04 1 days ago [-]
Maybe they're not what they used to be but they haven't lost all of the Porsche DNA. It's not all status. There are companies where the label is all that's left.
fragmede 1 days ago [-]
Which is to say, there are companies that've gone out of business. But if it was my company, I know what I would do, to put my kids through college. But I know what I would do, to look them in the eye after college.
Just kidding, I don't have kids.
anal_reactor 1 days ago [-]
> can’t even pronounce it properly
There are things which pronunciation I've learned in childhood and it will never change no matter how good my foreign language skills get. "Tomb Raider" with comically butchered accent.
tkcranny 1 days ago [-]
I'm no car guy, but that's a beautiful vehicle. How totally Japanese too; zany but rad.
> In the 1960s, four Porsche 912s were customized for use as police cars in Japan
Fascinating. So many follow-on questions. Why four exactly? Were they all in Tokyo, or spread around? Did they get used for anything other than highway patrol? Who got to drive them?
thrdbndndn 1 days ago [-]
The article said Kanagawa so not Tokyo. Well, close enough.
SiempreViernes 1 days ago [-]
Four seems like a reasonable number for a trial purchase.
protocolture 11 hours ago [-]
I really need James May to explain its entire service history to me.
gkanai 1 days ago [-]
These photos were originally by Lorenzo Kikisch for Type 7 magazine
Really dig that side mounted siren. Peak mid century aesthetics.
kart23 1 days ago [-]
whats the huge sports chrono looking thing on the dash? wonder if thats the origin of the modern option
pjc50 1 days ago [-]
Speedometer. Not sure why it's in a separate binnacle on its own. Perhaps that allows the passenger cop to also observe the speed and corroborate it in court later if necessary.
fsalehpour 1 days ago [-]
Steering wheel on the wrong side!
GJim 1 days ago [-]
1/3 of the planets population drives on the left mate.
(Incidentally, if a country drives on the left then as a general rule of thumb, they also play cricket. I've no idea why this might be the case.)
xyzzy3000 19 hours ago [-]
The car in the article has the steering wheel on the left, which is the wrong side for vehicles driving on the left-hand side of the road. Domestically-produced cars in both the UK and Japan have the steering wheel on the right.
I’d say it’s because cricket is British and driving on the other side is British too?
GJim 1 days ago [-]
I really had no idea. Give that man a coconut.
bdsa 1 days ago [-]
British influence?
I'm not sure the correlation holds up in Japan's case though
pjc50 1 days ago [-]
British influence again - apparently through the train network. Despite Commodore Perry and the Portuguese, Britain had significant influence during the Meiji restoration.
lifestyleguru 1 days ago [-]
Don't want succumb to any conspiracy theory, but they also tend to play rugby.
dialsMavis 1 days ago [-]
Not wrong in Japan
xyzzy3000 19 hours ago [-]
The wheel in the photo is on the left, which is wrong in Japan. Domestic Japanese vehicles have the steering wheel on the right.
lifestyleguru 1 days ago [-]
People are doing really ugly, corrupted, and cruel things to own and to drive Porsche. Don't understand sentiment to this brand, especially considering a hole in their history during 1930s-1940s. It's a drving scrap, they didn't scrap it, big deal.
bayindirh 1 days ago [-]
I'm a car enthusiast, but I like brands like Porsche because of the engineering they have on their cars.
You don't have to appreciate it, but the engineering of these cars are not orthodox, yet they're daily driveable cars unlike the cars in their own class, e.g. Ferrari, Maserati, et. al.
The thinking out of the box, and evolution instead of revolution makes them extraordinary. Personally, I prefer the looks of Porsches to any other car.
However, would I go great lengths to own one? I'm not sure.
You can admire something without going crazy about it or define yourself via it.
If we're going to "shame" companies about doing things between 1930-1940, the list will be much longer and multi-national.
jgilias 1 days ago [-]
Ever buying a Fanta?
lifestyleguru 1 days ago [-]
Wrong address, I absolutely avoid this "fantastic" brand and other sugar syrups. I tend to drink plain water (like in the toilet bowl).
https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/for-more-th...
Any other police departments that did this or just those two?
For the present day: https://www.selectcarleasing.co.uk/news/article/most-powerfu... (fun use of FOIA)
https://policepathfinder.com/what-car-do-british-police-use/
There's plenty more modern sport cars these days, in various countries.
[0] one of the 4-5 police forces in Italy
[1] https://www.motori.it/ferrari-250-gte-22-in-vendita-la-stori...
One Porsche model is listed: 911 (no pun intended).
In 4 four years, they managed to total 4 of them (from the 26 brought in 2021).
Interesting history on that one, bit of an odd choice for the Japanese police.
Having a cool old project car is less cool when everyone else is some jerk who bought into it.
To answer: There’s only so many times you want to strike up a friendly conversation with a driver about their lovely car, only to be met with them having no clue about their bespoke vehicle, or even worse - the pitted feeling that they are somehow superior.
Porsche drivers in most of places I’ve lived do not behave this way. You will have a better time and luck in the Bay Area chatting cars with someone who drives a Ferrari or McLaren (or a Mazda to make it clear it’s not simply value) than a Porsche owner.
As a petrol head, I’m saying it’s sad that most tech bros buy these over the top track cars and don’t know much about them besides the paint color or alcantara.
I'd argue it is, at least once they started making more SUV's than 911's.
Porsche has one duty to its shareholders. Keep existing. They do that by selling cars.
Just kidding, I don't have kids.
There are things which pronunciation I've learned in childhood and it will never change no matter how good my foreign language skills get. "Tomb Raider" with comically butchered accent.
Fascinating. So many follow-on questions. Why four exactly? Were they all in Tokyo, or spread around? Did they get used for anything other than highway patrol? Who got to drive them?
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZYbpfliUfs/
(Incidentally, if a country drives on the left then as a general rule of thumb, they also play cricket. I've no idea why this might be the case.)
I'm not sure the correlation holds up in Japan's case though
You don't have to appreciate it, but the engineering of these cars are not orthodox, yet they're daily driveable cars unlike the cars in their own class, e.g. Ferrari, Maserati, et. al.
The thinking out of the box, and evolution instead of revolution makes them extraordinary. Personally, I prefer the looks of Porsches to any other car.
However, would I go great lengths to own one? I'm not sure.
You can admire something without going crazy about it or define yourself via it.
If we're going to "shame" companies about doing things between 1930-1940, the list will be much longer and multi-national.