Skip to main content

A Porsche 918 Spyder is the latest supercar to join the Dubai Police fleet

Dubai Police Porsche 918 Spyder
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It had to happen eventually, really. Given its penchant for collecting attention-getting cars, it was only a matter of time before the Dubai Police got ahold of at least one member of the holy hybrid-supercar trinity, be it a Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, or Porsche 918 Spyder.

It was the Porsche that donned Dubai’s green-and-white police livery, which has become a familiar site to Internet-trawling car fans. The 918 was revealed by the Dubai Police on Twitter. The green streaks running down the sides are a nice touch, referencing the graphics Porsche itself applied to some customer cars.

Recommended Videos

As with the other cars in the Dubai Police fleet, the 918 Spyder won’t do much actual police work. It will be used primarily for promotional purposes, helping to put an appealing face on both the police force and Dubai itself. The storm of social media posts that seems to follow every one of these cars certainly can’t hurt a municipal organization, or a city.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The 918 is one of the most impressive cars in an already-impressive collection. Other supercar highlights include the Bugatti Veyron, the Ferrari FF, and the Lamborghini Aventador. There are also some more “normal” sports cars, like a Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Lexus RC F, plus a BMW i8 plug-in hybrid.

It’s not all about sleek performance cars, though. The Dubai Police also rosters a Brabus-tuned Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and a tiny Renault Twizy electric car. Pretty much anything that can get attention seems to be fair game.

The success of the Dubai Police fleet as a promotional tool has led to other police forces around the world enlisting some exotic cars of their own. In Abu Dhabi, the local police dressed up a Rolls-Royce Phantom and W Motors Lykan Hypersport in its red-and-white livery, and a unit of the Australian New South Wales Police Force uses an Audi RS 4 Avant for public relations.

In the U.S., the LAPD previously borrowed a Lamborghini Gallardo for a charity event. More recently, it took delivery of BMW i3 and Tesla Model S P85D loaners, raising the profile of its efforts to add more electric cars to its fleet.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Costco, Electrify America add EV-charging stations in three states
costco electrify america add 50 ev charging stations in three states ea chargers 1280

Costco, which had abandoned offering EV charging 12 years ago, is getting serious about resuming the service.

Over a month ago, the big-box retailer once again put its brand name on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington, that was made by Electric Era .

Read more
Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work
Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Read more
Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?
Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Read more