Lamborghini delivers a Huracan to Italian police for an important mission

By Stephen Edelstein Published March 30, 2017

Lamborghini Huracán Polizia — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Exotic police cars are a dime a dozen these days. The Lamborghini Huracan Polizia you’re looking at is not the first Lambo to don police garb. But while police departments often use supercars for promotional purposes, the Italian Highway Patrol actually puts them to work.

The Highway Patrol’s newest (and coolest) police car will be used for jobs like emergency medical transport, and the transport of donated organs, blood, and plasma, putting its performance capabilities to good use. Another Huracan has been in service with the Italian Highway Patrol since 2015, and the force used the Huracan’s predecessor, the Lamborghini Gallardo, before that.

Recommended Videos

The Huracan gets some extra electronics for police duty, including an onboard tablet and computer, and video and audio recording equipment to document traffic stops. The front trunk is refrigerated to hold donated organs, and the car carries a defibrillator for roadside first aid. Other police equipment includes a VHF radio, fire extinguisher, and holsters for both a gun and the hand-held stop signs Italian Highway Patrol officers traditionally carry.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The police car uses the same 5.2-liter V10, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and all-wheel drive system as the civilian Huracan LP610-4. The engine produces 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, which Lamborghini says is enough to rocket a stock Huracan from 0 to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds, and on to a top speed of 201 mph. It really is the perfect car for emergency organ deliveries.

Lamborghini painted the police Huracan in the Italian Highway Patrol’s traditional blue and white livery. The Pirelli P Zero tires’ sidewalls are tinted blue as well and, naturally, the Huracan gets a police-spec light bar. Not that you’d have trouble noticing this thing in your rearview mirror without it.

Italy’s police forces are nothing if not patriotic. Besides the Highway Patrol, the Carabinieri use a fleet of Alfa Romeo Giulia sedans, including two of the high-performance Quadrifoglio models for special missions.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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 .

Cars

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.

Cars

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.