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LONDON, England - Imagine this: A leather-clad, shotgun-wielding Mel Gibson smeared with war paint and dead bird feathers driving in a beastly Interceptor down the country roads of Ye Olde England. It’s just not right...
Nevertheless, that’s exactly what rural police are doing in southern England's green and pleasant Cotswold Hills in a 250km/h BMW version of what looks like something from Mad Max’s garage, according to the London Daily Mail.
MAD MAX RETURNS
We’re not joking. Think back to the 1979 'Mad Max' movie starring Gibson as a police officer in a post-Apocalyptic future, along with an insanely fast police car emblazoned with 'Interceptor'.
The Mail says the so-emblazoned BMW is a demo police pursuit vehicle, a hatchback costing the equivalent of about R482 000 that has only been used to track down uninsured or stolen cars in the serene and speed-restricted roads of the rural Costwolds.
But what is it? you ask. It’s a super-modified BMW 1 Series - a 125d M Sport diesel sports model to be exact - fitted with cameras to identify numberplates and therefore English miscreants, and other high-speed police work. The word ‘Interceptor’ is emblazoned front, back and sides – very much like the 'Mad Max' car.
The model is a prototype doing the rounds in England so county police can test it and, perhaps, buy.
AA spokesman Paul Watters called it "jaw-dropping" and warned that young drivers could see it as a challenge. “I’m not sure what drivers would think if they saw that looming into view. Probably slow down”, he said.
"I’d never seen a real police car with Interceptor on it."
CRIME-FIGHTER
But the Mail says police insist the Interceptor is a serious crime-busting tool and not a macho gimmick. A spokesman for Gloucestershire County Police said: "We’re delighted with it. There is a lot of interest in it. Officers can drive the car on any road in and scan licence plates.
“If a plate reveals the car has a police marker on it - used in crime or is uninsured - the officers can stop and search it.”
A BMW spokesman said: “It is equipped with front, rear and an interior cameras. It continues recording after the vehicle ignition is turned off to capture essential post-incident video."
But that’s not all... police forces are also testing a "stealth" version of the Interceptor based on the even more powerful M 135i petrol version for undercover operations, the Mail reports.
Special equipment includes evidence cameras to catch speeders, bad drivers and criminal activity. They look pretty cool, too.
BMW said the car was also fitted with an emergency warning system with additional blue lights and sirens.
Nevertheless, that’s exactly what rural police are doing in southern England's green and pleasant Cotswold Hills in a 250km/h BMW version of what looks like something from Mad Max’s garage, according to the London Daily Mail.
MAD MAX RETURNS
We’re not joking. Think back to the 1979 'Mad Max' movie starring Gibson as a police officer in a post-Apocalyptic future, along with an insanely fast police car emblazoned with 'Interceptor'.
The Mail says the so-emblazoned BMW is a demo police pursuit vehicle, a hatchback costing the equivalent of about R482 000 that has only been used to track down uninsured or stolen cars in the serene and speed-restricted roads of the rural Costwolds.
But what is it? you ask. It’s a super-modified BMW 1 Series - a 125d M Sport diesel sports model to be exact - fitted with cameras to identify numberplates and therefore English miscreants, and other high-speed police work. The word ‘Interceptor’ is emblazoned front, back and sides – very much like the 'Mad Max' car.
The model is a prototype doing the rounds in England so county police can test it and, perhaps, buy.
AA spokesman Paul Watters called it "jaw-dropping" and warned that young drivers could see it as a challenge. “I’m not sure what drivers would think if they saw that looming into view. Probably slow down”, he said.
"I’d never seen a real police car with Interceptor on it."
CRIME-FIGHTER
But the Mail says police insist the Interceptor is a serious crime-busting tool and not a macho gimmick. A spokesman for Gloucestershire County Police said: "We’re delighted with it. There is a lot of interest in it. Officers can drive the car on any road in and scan licence plates.
“If a plate reveals the car has a police marker on it - used in crime or is uninsured - the officers can stop and search it.”
A BMW spokesman said: “It is equipped with front, rear and an interior cameras. It continues recording after the vehicle ignition is turned off to capture essential post-incident video."
But that’s not all... police forces are also testing a "stealth" version of the Interceptor based on the even more powerful M 135i petrol version for undercover operations, the Mail reports.
Special equipment includes evidence cameras to catch speeders, bad drivers and criminal activity. They look pretty cool, too.
BMW said the car was also fitted with an emergency warning system with additional blue lights and sirens.
