Photo: Policie ČR

Ferrari used in illegal street racing converted into Czech police car

The use of supercars as police vehicles may be nothing unusual in Dubai, but in Europe it is something of a rarity. One such example can now be found in the Czech Republic, where the police force has deployed a Ferrari F142-458 Italia seized due to its involvement in illegal street racing.

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The head-turning police vehicle began its operations on Monday, and ironically will be used mainly in the fight against illegal races. Should those actions prove successful, the police could even find themselves with another supercar in its fleet.

The Ferrari was officially seized due to its involvement in criminal activity. According to the police, the costs of modifying the vehicle for police use was around 300,000 Czech crowns (just under €12,200). The supercar had been in storage for ten years, and its commissioning cost an additional 130,000 Czech crowns (almost €5,300).

Commenting on the Ferrari joining the Czech police’s fleet, Jiří Zlý, head of the traffic police, said:

“The vehicle will be used in a nationwide unit and we are counting on its deployment against the most aggressive pirates of Czech roads. We can also use its potential when chasing stolen vehicles that pass through our territory to neighboring countries. The range of tasks that the vehicle will perform is really wide.”

In 2019, the Czech police recorded about 30 illegal races. “In these cases, we are dealing with similar vehicles with extreme performance that normal patrol vehicles cannot fully compete with,” added police spokesman Jakub Vinčálek.

Interestingly, according to Vinčálek, the Ferrari is not the most valuable vehicle that has been seized due to its involvement in criminal activity.

“Last year alone, we impounded almost 900 vehicles, the vast majority of which are subsequently sold and the proceeds are used to cover the damage caused by the offender. We keep some vehicles for official duties,” said the police spokesperson.

Vinčálek added that the police have hundreds of impounded vehicles on duty, but they are not typically luxurious cars.