Police Cars Extravaganza - Part 7: American Horsepower

Roarington’s journey through the most curious and unusual police vehicles reaches its final episode today with the American police force.

Compared to the countries we've explored in recent weeks, it was harder to find extravagant models, as the U.S. has always preferred domestic manufacturers—but we’re confident we’ll surprise you once again. The first police car used in the United States was the Akron Ohio, an electric vehicle that could reach 16 miles per hour and had a range of 30 miles per charge. The Ohio could carry 12 officers. The spread of the Model T at the beginning of the 20th century, with a top speed of 45 mph (around 70 km/h), led police departments to adopt Ford’s new model as well, kickstarting a collaboration with Ford that has lasted for over 100 years and continues to this day. As motorization rapidly expanded and the famous highways were developed in a country keen on speed limits, it became essential for police to have high-performance vehicles.