Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Ferrari, Police/Emergency, Luxury
We’re used to seeing fancy cars gifted to or bought by certain international police forces today, but the story of this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE goes well beyond a gift. Because Rome’s anti-organized-crime unit, Squadra Mobile, was doing a terrific job in the early ’60s, the Italian president asked what they wanted as a token of appreciation. The answer, meant as a joke, was “A Ferrari.” The president, in all seriousness, got them two.
One was almost immediately destroyed during testing, the other remains in the care of Alberto Capelli today, whose father began attending military and government auctions just after World War II. Petrolicious visited Capelli to hear the 51-year-old tale of the most precious cop car you’re going to see for a while, and it involves outlaws, a French gangster in a Citroën, a policeman who was offered a spot on the Ferrari factory team by Enzo himself, and more. It’s a fantastic yarn, and you can watch the whole story below.
Continue reading How this Ferrari 250 GTE became Rome’s most famous police car
How this Ferrari 250 GTE became Rome’s most famous police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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One of our favorite toymakers is branching out its lineup of heirloom-quality toy cars into the first responder category. Automoblox has unveiled a new Emergency Line of rescue, police and fire vehicles based on three of its most popular models. The T900 truck becomes a go-anywhere rescue vehicle, the S9 sedan a patrol cruiser and the X9-X sport utility a capable transport for fire fighters.
Revealed on the company’s official Facebook page, the Emergency Line features color schemes appropriate to each branch of public service, new wheels (the S9’s dog-dish cop car wheels are particularly accurate and excellent), light bars and even new people figurines that represent the fire, police and rescue workers who help out the public from behind the wheel.
The Ford Crown Victoria has been such a valuable asset to police agencies around the U.S. that some municipalities have gone as far as to order extras. The reason? The Crown Vic will be retired at the end of 2011, with a replacement coming in the form of the Taurus Police Interceptor. But with the new 2013 Taurus being shown at the New York Auto Show and Ford already having shown a version of the cruiser based on the 2011 model, which version will the cops get?
