Who can explain this?

[rjlhughes]

Spotted today in a police parking zone in Liverpool St near Sussex St, Sydney:




Is this the new version of the Mini Minor pursuit cars they used to have?

Can anyone offer an explanation?

[Paul]

Looks like the Smart roadster which I believe is now owned by the Mercedes company.
Maybe its Gary's next dream Benz offspring!

[leek]

It reminds me of Holland where the motorway police used to drive Porsche 911 Targas... No messing about there!!!

[Nnnnsic]

That is the Smart Roadster which is a pretty decent automobile.

It's not an upgrade of the Mini, but you can notice that the NSW Police, or rather the Department in Sydney, seems to try out certain vehicles... I imagine there's some sort of contract with dealers here... regardless, the following cop cars I know I've spotted in Sydney:

VW Bug (modern one)
Alfa Romeo (I think it was a 156)
Mini Cooper S
and now you've spotted the Smart Roadster.

[birddog114]

Yes, I've seen it also, I think the NSW Police try to eval it to see if they can challenge it into a small parking spot in front of those take away shops in the city to pickup their lunch order.

If successful, perhaps they will order one for each of their stations, mainly and official use only for the above purposes.

[Sheetshooter]

A Smart move in my book (no pun intended). There is absolutely no need for the use of gas guzzling Falcons and Commodores for much of the work they need to do. PURSUIT is a technique well past its use-by date - it so often ends in disaster and, like the side-arms is possibly little more than a highly motivating TAUNT.

I recall as a kid that the local Sergeant up at Bondi Police Station would be driven about in a motorcycle and side-car.

And yes Leigh, I have often seen that Alfa parked in Gould Street - along with a yellow vee-dub beetle. For smarter cars than the Ford and Holden and fits more with the cosmopolitan nature of the place. I must confess, though, that I do get a chuckle out of the push-bike squad in their Lycra pedal pushers complete with the wedding tackle showcase.

[gstark]

The Alfa - yes, it was a 156 - was donated to the NSW police by the importers, Ateco.

Apart from the Smart roadster - which I actually cannot even squeeze in to - They also have a 2 seater, both attached, IIRC, to the Day St station outside Darling Harbour. As already observed, these are ideal for short trips within the city confines, such as the thrice daily donut runs.

[Sheetshooter]

So zippy I dare say it could be THRICE in a trice!

Sorry!

[gstark]

So zippy I dare say it could be THRICE in a trice!

Sorry!

Do you think that Krispy Kreme's staff are that quick?

Do you think there's enough room in the roadster for that many donuts ???

[huynhie]

Those smart cars are all over Europe.


When I walked passed the Brazillian Embassy in Paris there was one painted in the Brazillian flag.

I think these Smart cars are a joint venture between Daimler Chrysler and Swatch (the watch maker).

[Sheetshooter]

Gary,

Yesterday I listened with interest to a radio interview as a former employee of Krispy Kreme discussed the I. R. (Industrial Relations as opposed to Infra-Red) policy of Krispy Kreme. For do-nut makers they are certainly tough cookies!

[rjlhughes]

Peter Konnecke at Flickr commented

"I think it belongs to the city patrol ... on Day Street at Darling Harbour ... it was purchased to "keep up with" the illegal street racing in the Hickson road district."

It was parked just around the corner of course from that police station.

And the explanation sounds plausible.

[the foto fanatic]

The fire brigade is using them too.
This one was parked outside a ladies' gym - apparently the firies were called to an emergency there

[Manta]

I think these Smart cars are a joint venture between Daimler Chrysler and Swatch (the watch maker).

Correct you are - smart (for some reason they insist on writing it in lower-case) is actually an acronym for "Swatch Mercedes - Art" and they are a really fun little unit.

The roadster is like a go-kart, very zippy around corners, but lacks a little in performance. I took one for a test-drive last year, just for a bit of a laugh, and came away quite impressed. All in all, it wasn't much more than a toy and a fairly expensive one at that.

More recently, I had a four-door smart "FoFour" overnight. (The really weeny two-seater (not the roadster) is called the "FoTwo") Mercedes Benz Brisbane now hand out FoFours as loan cars so while my C-Class was being serviced I got to play with one of the new kids on the block. Again, I found myself liking the car a lot.

I tried in vain to get them to lend me another car they had sitting in their showroom at the time - a $1.2million Maybach 62 - but, curiously, they wouldn't be in it.

[the foto fanatic]

I tried in vain to get them to lend me another car they had sitting in their showroom at the time - a $1.2million Maybach 62 - but, curiously, they wouldn't be in it.

Isn't that Maybach something?
I sat in it last week, and had a demo of the seats (just like aircraft seats in first class - fully reclinable), the passenger windows (you can draw electric curtains to completely darken the area for sleep), the sunroof (opaque or transparent at the flick of a switch), the doors and boot lid ( all shut electrically).

You have to be an oil sheik to own one though.

[birddog114]

You have to be an oil sheik to own one though.

How's about our resident "Sheik" stubbsy? you've forgotten him

Was sitting on it few months ago, while we sourced our next car! I rather go for the glasses and other gadgets than it, cos I can't afford

[Manta]

Isn't that Maybach something?
I sat in it last week, and had a demo of the seats (just like aircraft seats in first class - fully reclinable), the passenger windows (you can draw electric curtains to completely darken the area for sleep), the sunroof (opaque or transparent at the flick of a switch), the doors and boot lid ( all shut electrically).

You have to be an oil sheik to own one though.

You're spot on Trevor. Apparently 250 of them have been ordered/delivered in Saudi Arabia. No wonder we pay so much for our bloody fuel.

[gstark]

Those smart cars are all over Europe.


When I walked passed the Brazillian Embassy in Paris there was one painted in the Brazillian flag.

I think these Smart cars are a joint venture between Daimler Chrysler and Swatch (the watch maker).

Actually, they were started as a joint venture by Daimler Benz and Swatch.

IIRC, Daimler Benz bought out the Swatch investment several years back, and these days Damiler Benz is Daimler Chrysler.

[embi]

I just love the police 'bashing' on this forum.

[rjlhughes]

embi,

not sure I understand.....?

[LOZ]

rjlhughes The answer is our under funded police are loaned these unique type of vehicles as good will from local car dealers .The dealers regard them as advertising & promotional when it comes to tax time .Every one is a winner.
[/b]

[rjlhughes]

Loz,

do you know this or do you think this is the case?


and call me Bob, please...

[birddog114]

I heard another story about the NSW COP, not a humor, not a joke, from a real source:

Last year, two constables on a patrol car, they stopped at one of the Malaysian take away shop, had their lunch with laksa or satay, after lunch they continued on their duty, after half an hour later, they felt trouble in their stomach, turned on the flashing lights + siren and headed straight back to their station, unfortunately, it was too late, they shit out to all their uniforms with yellow liquid on their seats of the patrol car, once they arrived the station, they met their seargent without any explanation and excuses, they were removed from the patrol team and shifted to office duty works.

That make wonder what are going to happen, whenever I heard the siren of Police cars on the street!

[Manta]

Great story Birddog!

Pity the next poor saps who had to do a patrol in THAT car!

[marcus]

Thanks Birddog....makes me fell a little hungry (not).

Can anyone recall the police fad with the "Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo"? I remember years ago they had them placed along the Pacific Hwy between Sydney & Brisbane trying to outgun the V8's over a short pursuit on roads that were more suitable to cars with extreme acceleration and handling rather than grunt. I think it was a short lived exercise for some reason, but I can still remember being warned about them.....am I showing my age?

[gstark]

Thanks Birddog....makes me fell a little hungry (not).

Can anyone recall the police fad with the "Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo"? I remember years ago they had them placed along the Pacific Hwy between Sydney & Brisbane trying to outgun the V8's over a short pursuit on roads that were more suitable to cars with extreme acceleration and handling rather than grunt. I think it was a short lived exercise for some reason, but I can still remember being warned about them.....am I showing my age?

Not at all.

The Cordias were an attempt to try high speed pusuit, just as more recently they had a few WRXs on tap. My guess is that the cordias kept blowing up their turbos (as did the diminutive Daihatsus of the same era) but in neither case were those due to manufacturing issues; you simply cannot put a hot blower to bed in the way that you can a normally aspirated engine.

And in terms of showing one's age, we need to recall that the first "hot" pursuit cars used by the NSW police were the orginal Mini Coopers (not the the Cooper Ss - they came later) of which the current BMW incarnation is but an expensive, substandard copy, devoid of any real class and personality.

[Sheetshooter]

I recall that in the early 1960s Daimler produced a little two-seater (might have been a V12 - certainly a V8) and they had 2 of these for a while. Then came the Vauxhaul Viva which had a really fast take-off and they had them too.

Surely it is time for more intelligence based means of pursuit, however, which are less risk to the public, property, felons and do-gooders. Breaking the law in order to uphold the law should be illegal if it's not already . I know that in New York the Police are not to take pursuit at speed. Radios, other vehicles, CCTV cameras, helicopters and physical aids such as those spikey things on the roadway can all be employed to better advantage with reduced risk of harm.

Cheers,

[gstark]

I'm a little surprised that the AMGs that have recently been carjacked didn't have tracking systems installed. For high value vehiucles that have been stolen and are then being used in ramraids, this is a simple solution that could actually help in capturing the perpetrartors of the crimes - just see where the stolen vehicle is garaged during daylight hours and watch those premises.

Disable the vehicle too, once it's garaged.

But yes, pursuit is very dangerous, and with all due respect, I think that many of our police are too house-trained to know otherwise. hell, most still think that sitting at the bottom of a downhill grade with a radar gun actually aids in the reduction of road trauma.

All it does is raise revenue!

As to the NSW RTA ... what a buch of morons .... Speed cameras do not save lives. Never have, and never will!