The Avon and Somerset police of the U.K. have added the world's fastest police car to their forces.
The £38,000, 350bhp Ariel Atom will be used by the police as part of the force's Project Safer Rider campaign to slow down the speeds of motorcyclists. The unveiling of the car will be on June 8, in a day that will also see the police force offer training and road safety information to motorcyclists. The police force will then display the vehicle in several events in the country's southwest.
The Ariel Atom police car, based on the design of the Atom 3.5R, is designed with police markings, aerodynamic Hella pursuit lights and emergency equipment. Ariel allowed the Avon and Somerset police to borrow the vehicle for the summer, when there is a great increase in the motorcyclist activity on the road. There have already been a total of seven deaths due to motorcycle accidents in the force's coverage area this year, which is a 30 percent increase compared to the same period last year. It is also reported that 20 percent of all road deaths in the U.K. involving motorcyclists.
"I am really excited that Ariel has joined with us to bring Project Safer Rider to fruition, and I hope that the use of the Ariel PL1 will have a positive impact to promote Road Safety in line with our PCC's Priorities, and help us to reduce road death and serious injury," said Roads Policing Sergeant with the Tri Force Specialist Operations Collaboration Andy Parsons.
The Ariel Atom can reach a speed of 62 mph from 0 mph in just 2.5 seconds. Weighing only 612 kg, it can reach speeds of as fast as 155 mph. This makes it the fastest police car, ahead of the Italian police force's Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia, the German police force's Audi R8 GTR and the Dubai police force's Ferrari FF.
Ariel director Simon Saunders said that, while their company's business is all about speed, there is a proper time and place to indulge in it. The Atom, he said, was designed for a race track, in which the driver can test his and the vehicle's limits in an environment that is designed for that purpose.
"The road really isn't the place to explore you or your vehicle's limits," Saunders added.
According to the Avon and Somerset police, despite the vehicle being powerful enough to be able to chase down speeding motorists, the police will not use the Ariel Atom police car for daily police duties.
