Time and again, we’ve all been thrust into the same unflattering scenario of driving over the speed limit on a highway without a care in the world - at least until a police car begins to give chase. That’s where we start quaking in our boots. In some instances, we make a break for it, hoping that our trusty steed can outrun the galloping highway patrol car as it tries to keep pace. Unfortunately for the residents of the West Midlands in the UK, trying to outrun the new highway patrol car just became a more difficult task. As a donation by Lotus->ke49 and presented at the Autosport International Motor Show, the UK police force will be getting a Lotus Evora police car to facilitate the chase..

Oh yes, dear criminals. A 280 horsepower sports car will be stuck in your rear view mirrors until you cry ‘uncle!’ and pull over on the shoulder of the highway. The Evora police car will be given a two-week trial run on a stretch along the West Midlands highway that covers 450 miles, together with a number of major routes, including the M5, M6, and M2 motorways.

So the next time you find yourselves in these areas, you might want to keep watch of the speed limit because you know never know when the Evora police car will jump out of the bushes and give you chase. Most likely, you wouldn’t’ even stand a chance.

Details on the Lotus Evora Police Car after the jump.

2011 Lotus Evora Police Car

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2011 Lotus Evora Police Car
  • Engine/Motor: 3.5-liter V6 engine
  • Horsepower: 280 horsepower
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior and Interior

On the outside, the Evora police car looks to have retained the same aesthetic dynamics as a stock version of the Evora except for a few obvious additions. Lotus has dressed it up with an unmistakable police livery, standard police badges, and police lights on the roof, the grille, and the interior dashboard.

Interior upgrades on the Evora Police Car have yet to be released although we can only imagine that it’s going to come with some heavy dose of law-enforcement paraphernalia, which would include a radar gun, an on-board computer, gun holsters, and maybe even a container for doughnuts. Okay, that last item is unlikely to make it there, but the rest of the features are most definitely included.

Performance

The Evora police car is being touted as the fastest police car in the UK. With a powertrain that features a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 280 horsepower – the same as the stock version of the 2010 Evora - this law-enforcement speedster is capable of hitting ‘north-to-60’ in less than five seconds with a top speed of 168 mph while also running at 30 miles to a gallon.

Suffice to say, this is not the type of police car you would want to see on your rear view mirrors in the foreseeable future.

Pricing

The car is priced at around £50,000, or about $80,000 based on current exchange rates. Don’t expect this car to hit dealerships anytime soon because it’s going to be sold exclusively to police departments in the UK. For now, the Evora is being loaned to the UK police force for a two-week trial run where it is going to be used to patrol an area covering 450 miles in the West Midlands.

Competition

Criminals beware! Though the Evora may not pose the same menacing presence as other police cars, don’t sleep on this little sportster just yet. What it lacks in intimidation, it certainly makes up for in terms of top-notch speed and power, the likes of which have never been seen in the UK police force.