HOT FUZZ

Hot Fuzz

A look back at what was once the fastest police car in the world.

As kids I think we all had that fascination with emergency services vehicles, but they don’t get cooler than this. In the mid 70s the Belgian Gendarmerie/Rijkswacht ordered 20 of the ultimate motorway patrol car in the shape of a narrow body Targa, featuring the mighty 2.7RS MFI engine, which put out 210bhp, making it the fastest police car in existence at the time!

These Porsches would be on the motorways day and night, reportedly running almost non stop and never left to rest, racking up between 300-500k km over their years of service. With a full team of dedicated mechanics, some of these cars ended up with their engines being swapped between each other, to make sure they’d be ready to roll. But the real question here is why the Targa? It was simply so that officers could easily direct traffic by standing up inside the car, something I certainly wouldn’t want to do at 240kph! With its bold fluorescent stripe, blue flashing light and its light up STOP sign on the back, you knew you were in trouble when you heard those sirens.

You can’t imagine that naughty and powerful feeling, driving an ex Police car in modern day traffic. “The temptation to turn on the flashing blue light and sirens is just too strong,” William says with a grin on his face, wearing his period Gendarmerie cap.

Less than 5 of these rarities are accounted for, making it one of the rarest 2.7RS powered varieties, this specific example having served with the Rolin Gendarmerie Barracks in Etterbeek. Notably, 1976 was the first year of the galvanised bodied 911 and the only year with the legendary RS engine, so this is more than a quirky rarity, but a great amalgam of structural prowess and performance. William’s mum remembers being chased down by one of the 20 police Targas. Never did she expect her son to be behind the wheel 50 years later!