NSW police force takes delivery of its Lexus RC F crime fighter
A spanking new Lexus RC F has joined the boys in blue in NSW with its high performance 5.0-litre V8 stepping up to the plate of law enforcement.
Unfortunately you’ll only see the Lexus holding fort with road safety campaigns and awareness programs. It will also appear at events like the Bathurst Motor Festival at this weekend’s Easter motoring festival.
As Australia awaits to see what cars replaced the outgoing Falcon, Territory and Commodore patrol and duty vehicles in the coming 18 months, the Lexus RC F shows it would make a solid asset. With a 351kW and 530Nm output driving the rear wheels and an eight-speed Sports Program Direct Shift transmission, it’s definitely got the grunt to chase down pretty much anything. Adjustable torque vectoring differential feeds torque to each wheel to keep it on the black stuff and a stiff chassis and racetrack developed suspension will keep it on the straight and narrow. Brembo brakes will also pull up the Plod and their gear very quickly.
Inspector Jim Fryday of the NSW Police’s Southern Region said the RC F would be an ideal addition to the force’s busy events schedule. “The RC F will be a major help in our efforts to engage with the public at major gatherings around the state,” Inspector Fryday said. “There will be further opportunities at motorsport events to communicate our message to race fans while showing off the RC F in a very appropriate setting.”
NSW Police’s Southern Region will be the Lexus’ turf, based in Wollongong, and including as far west as Deniliquin Local Area Command to Goulburn and Griffith in the north.
Lexus Australia chief executive Peter McGregor said there would be significant benefit from providing the vehicle to the NSW Police. “It gives us great pleasure to provide the NSW Police with a stunning RC F coupe to assist them with their important task of promoting safety on our roads – a critical issue for all road users,” Mr McGregor said.
Earlier this month Victoria police and Mercedes-Benz launched its own rendition of what the next-gen Aussie police car will look like when it unveiled the ‘Guardian’, an AMG GLE 63 S SUV which was also chosen for its strong safety message.
Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer wants people to consider the safest car they can afford when the time comes to buying new. “Death and serious injuries on Victorian roads could be reduced by a third overnight if everyone was driving the safest cars they can afford,” he said. “Your car should be a guardian for your safety and the safety of your family like police are a guardian for everyone in the community. We’re not saying that everyone needs to rush out and buy the latest and greatest. Just to prioritise safety over leather seats and shiny wheels.
Fryer said the zero deaths and serious injuries vision for Victoria’s roads could only be achieved through safer roads, people, speeds, and safer vehicles. “Reducing the number of lives needlessly lost on our roads requires a whole of community effort. Safety should never be an optional extra and the car industry has a corporate responsibility to make safety technology standard in all new cars.”
AFMA also broke the news of Volvo’s appeal to have its Polestar-tuned vehicles considered for official police duties. Read the story here.
