Rolls-Royce Phantom joins Abu Dhabi Police

By Stephen Edelstein Published March 9, 2015

Abu Dhabi Police Rolls-Royce Phantom — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Dubai Police is known for its jaw-dropping collection of supercars, but apparently it’s not the only part of the United Arab Emirates with money to burn on extravagant law-enforcement vehicles.

The Abu Dhbai Police recently took delivery of this Rolls-Royce Phantom. Like the police cars in fellow emirate Dubai, it will be used primarily for public relations.

Recommended Videos

While the Dubai Police cars wear a white and green livery, the Rolls sports white and red. Other apparent modifications include the obligatory police light bar and a gold “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

This particular Phantom also appears to be an older Series I, as it lacks the revised front fascia of the current Series II. Maybe it was repossessed.

A 6.75-liter V12 should provide enough power for pursuit situations, and definitely enough for the Phantom’s primary mission of looking cool.

As a four-door sedan, the Phantom may actually be one of the more practical exotic police cars around. There’s plenty of room for perps in the back.

This is the first high-end vehicle we’ve heard of joining the Abu Dhabi Police, so maybe this is the beginning of a rivalry between it and the Dubai force.

Considering that Dubai already has a Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Aventador, and numerous other supercars in its stable, it’s hard to see how Abu Dhabi will be able to top it, though.

Maybe a police version of the new, 1,500-horsepower Koenigsegg Regera would do the trick.

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.