top 9 emergency service vehicles ever made

every time i hear a siren here in manchester i know instinctively that the vehicle creating that brain-melting noise will be an eyesore.

i'm sure some people think fire engines are attractive machines, i'm also certain that a number of people believe that your average police car is a design classic that should never be tinkered with. as for ambulances, i'm really not sure.

don't get me wrong, i realise they all serve their purpose and save lives.

but why the fuck not make 'em attractive? make us proud of the emergency service's appearance as well as it's cause. use vehicles that really turn heads, let policemen, firemen and maybe paramedics wear robocop-esque uniforms that'll instantly earn respect. i mean fuck, the manufacturers are making enough cash to spare a few mean cars for the forces and it's gotta be good for brand awareness. selfish twats.

this is what i currently think of when someone yells 'police car' in my general direction (not that anyone ever does)....

see the problem? even if you don't, hopefully you'll still appreciate the brilliance of the following emergency service vehicles from around the world (europe actually, for no particular reason) - the kind of vehicles we need to see more of. they're my top 10 favourites cos they look the business. they all exist and are used or have been used by either a police force or ambulance service apart from the last one, a concept car which is the coolest fire engine i've ever seen.

it took me a while to find and pick these, if you know of any glaring omissions let me know and i might extend the list.

9. brabus police car (germany)

ever heard of brabus? neither had i.

they're actually a german firm whose sole purpose in life is to tweak, tune and generally beef up mercedes cars. that fact alone makes this more than eligible for the top 9, but the fucker looks pretty good too.

it's a beast.

8. porsche cayenne ambulance (germany)

what a frikkin' great idea! take a car that's made by one of the best manufacturers in the world, a car that's actually too big to be practical for a normal human being, and turn it into the coolest mini-ambulance on earth.

so far 6 cayennes have been modified in germany and are used for 'fire fighting, plant security, and health and safety' purposes.

7. segway i2 police transporter (everywhere)

this is a slight red-herring. i just think it's absolutely fucking hilarious and for that reason alone it's on the list. according to the segway website , sgt s.b. emerman of the metropolitan police force in washington d.c. said..

"you'd be amazed at what you see at 12 mph versus 25 mph"

no shit. what you can see is the suspect running away really quickly but very clearly.

how to lose all dignity in seconds.

"police! stop or i trundle real fast"

6. lamborghini gallardo police car (italy)

wow.

you've gotta hand it to the italians, all they did was put in a request with the lamborghini top dogs and they got this beauty for free. it's used on a daily basis by the traffic police and i bet they fight for the opportunity to drive the bastard.

for the geeks out there, it's got a 5 litre engine. that means nothing to me in real terms but i have so much faith in this car that i'm impressed anyway. check out the video too.

5. lotus esprit s4 police car (uk)

you may disagree with me on this one but i've always had a soft spot for esprits due to 'lotus esprit turbo challenge' on the amiga 500.

the colours are slightly gawdy but even that can't put me off.

4. porsche 911 carrera police car (germany)

this has apparently been tuned to buggery, making it 'the fastest police car in the world'

'the porsche 911 carrera s has been completely modified by techart and reaches a top speed of some 300 km/h thanks to 370-hp / 272-kW performance tuning.'

anyone understand?

3. ferrari 250 gte (italy)

possibly the coolest police car ever built, this was used by the italian police force in 1962 and even then could reach 225km/h.

'it quickly became a strong friend of the police in their fight against crime, and it's regular driver marshal armando spatafora, who was born in syracusa in 1927, ended up a legendary figure in rome, after he heroically chased criminal after criminal around the streets of italy's capital, always careful though to put the safety of the city's inhabitants first.'

2. lamborghini murcielago lp640 police car (uk)

this is a fucking beast.

6.5 litre v12 (again, i'm assuming those numbers are good), 0-62 mph in 3.4 secs. who in their right mind would mess with that? i don't think anyone in the world would refuse to pull over straight away.

sleek is not the word.

watch the short but sweet video clip.

1. peugeot h2o fire engine (nowhere yet)

please let me introduce you to my new favourite fire engine, the peugeot h2o . it looks incredible and according to the scientific stuff i tried to read, it is incredible.

'the peugeot h2o concept demonstrates the effectiveness of fuel cell technology, in a vehicle for fire fighting, which can be used for reconnaissance in areas within towns and cities which are difficult for large vehicles to access.

the h2o is an electric vehicle with batteries, fitted with an auxiliary fuel cell. the psa peugeot citroën group first showed this technology in a taxi pac demonstrator vehicle in june 2001. this latest concept has progressed the idea and is equipped with an auxiliary power unit which provides a continuous source of electrical energy to supply various emergency items of equipment such as the pumps, smoke extractors, communication systems, and electric sockets'.

go here to read up on the technical bits.

so there you have it. the fire engine that's never been used to fight an actual fire wins top place.

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