The British Police says their latest Lotus Evora patrol car will help start conversations with their community.
Lotus Cars have a long history of providing law-enforcement vehicles to numerous regions around the world, including in Australia, the USA, Romania, and Italy. This week, they’re loaning an Evora GT410 to a police department that’s a little closer to home in the southwest of England.
Conventional wisdom says that every police force needs at least one or two performance vehicles should a high-speed pursuit take place. We know there are plenty of people who speed, but when you combine that with someone who’s evading the law or abusing a substance, then tracking and stopping the driver becomes imperative. However, that’s not the reason why Devon & Cornwall Police are happy to add this Lotus Evora GT410 to their fleet.
According to the Roads Casualty Reduction Officer, the Lotus Evora GT410 will be used not to chase down speeding miscreants, but to engage with their local community. He says it’ll get people talking with the local police who may otherwise not be keen on engaging.
We don’t think it’s too much of an exaggeration. Just look at the social media feedback that one short video of PDRM’s Honda Civic Type R gets.
PRESS RELEASE
There is a long history of the world’s most famous performance car brands working with the police to create poster-worthy patrol vehicles, and Lotus is no exception.
Over the years we’ve collaborated with the law-enforcement communities in numerous regions of the UK and internationally. Hethel, the home of Lotus since 1966, is in the county of Norfolk and we have joined forces with its police several times over the years. We’ve also provided cars to traffic teams in Australia, USA, Romania and Italy…. and our latest is now out and about with Devon & Cornwall Police in the south-west of the UK.
The Lotus Evora GT410 is on loan there for a year and is being used for community engagement. It attends shows and motoring events to allow the police to discuss road safety with different audiences. Dorset Police also has access to the car.
Sgt Owen Messenger is a Roads Casualty Reduction Officer for the force and said: “We’ve given the Evora a bespoke livery including full blue light rig – it’s a real head-turner! It’s popular with younger drivers because of its striking sports car looks, while the Lotus badge resonates with many people across the generations. It helps us talk to those audiences who are not always keen to engage with the police.”
He explained that a fatal accident on the road will cost the emergency services around £2.2 million, while closing a major arterial road costs £1million to the local economy every hour. “If we save one life or prevent one accident because this vehicle is helping us talk to people then that is excellent.”
Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars, added: “We are delighted to be able to provide this Lotus Evora to Devon and Cornwall Police and Dorset Police to help them with vital road safety programmes. We support any initiative that encourages all drivers to drive to the road conditions, to drive safely and with consideration to others. The Evora is a perfect car to engage with drivers and will help in getting these important messages across to all road users.”
