So I'm speeding to work in my car this morning and there's a police car in the median facing the other way, clocking traffic in the on coming lanes. Its back bumper perpendicular with the side I'm on.

As I fly past him or her content with the knowledge that there is no way that police car could turn around in my direction and come and get me, I'm thinking to myself wouldn't it be something if the police car took off after me bumper first? The body of the car on backward.
-- sin, Mar 06 2002

(???) 8 rad - German WWII scout vehicle. http://www.shadowsf.../armoredcars_2.html
This scout car was distinguished in having a second set of vehicle controls at the back (facing to the rear), so that the second driver could drive it out of trouble just as quickly as the regular driver had got them into it. [DrBob, Mar 12 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

(???) Too good NOT to link to http://www.squadpix...s/indiana/in014.jpg
baked [Letsbuildafort, Oct 04 2004]

this reminds me of the time I met up with my NZ pal after ** years and was so busy chatting, I made an illegal turn in the road and ended up facing the traffic lights in the wrong way in a three lane road. And just poking its little bonnet around the corner, the other side of the lights was a police panda car. whoops. "you do the talking" says I "we're tourists right!"
-- po, Mar 06 2002


Better yet, omni-directional, both front and back look like the back of the car. You wouldn't be able to tell until you were past. Have to do something so you can't tell which side the officer is on.
-- rbl, Mar 06 2002


Officer sits in the exact center of the car, in a swivel chair. Redundant controls on the front and back of the car. For further effect, the officer wears a uniform with buttons both on the front and back, shaves his head, and has an 'extra face' tattooed into the back of his head. (that oughtta keep the tourists in line ;^))
-- Jeremi, Mar 06 2002


I'm afraid such a car would cause numerous accidents. Imagine changing lanes to see a car heading right for you, or so you think.
-- lumpy, Mar 06 2002


Just have the police car do a back flip with a half twist.. And the judges give him a 10.
-- dag, Mar 06 2002


why have cars at all, green wheelie bins are the future!
-- edski, Mar 12 2002


As dangerous as this is, I love the idea of seeing a 100mph car chase with the police car apparently driving backwards.
-- st3f, Mar 12 2002


...or the police car could be disguised as a group of 10 or so wheelie bins.
(Hmm - should "Novel Police Cars be a separate idea? It could include disguised police cars, black police cars with lowered suspension, tinted windows and loud stereos, retro police cars...)
-- hippo, Mar 12 2002


...many of which are baked by various constabularies. West Midlands used to operate a red Jaguar E-Type on the M6 whose crew would entice law-abiding motorists into a race then nick them for speeding. Allegedly.
I rather enjoyed hearing that Vauxhall built a 'Police Special' version of their Senator which would out-run pretty much anything on the road. The police were less than pleased two months later when Vauxhall built the Carlton Lotus which could out-run the Police Special Senator.
-- angel, Mar 12 2002


I have NO cluse WHEN it happened, but some cops were surfing the HB. Ok, that may be a little far-fetched, but it was baked by this police squad ... [link]
-- Letsbuildafort, Jan 06 2004


that would completely ruin the aerodynamics, so only low speeds would be achievable
-- ca55ie, Jan 07 2004


If semi-trucks can go fast, then I don't see why this wouldn't ... virtually any aerodynamic shortcoming can be overcome with thrust.
-- Letsbuildafort, Jan 07 2004


Sounds like an SPV from Captain Scarlet...
-- timbeau, Jan 08 2004


Hah, I just had this idea, but for standard cars with the body on backwards. Some tricks would need to be played to get rear lights to act as headlights etc. but it would look really cool. (+).
-- Ling, Mar 08 2006


The tail lamps would be clear plastic yet screen-printed red, offering the illusion of being the correct color. Underneath the plastic, howewer, you could have both a set of red bulbs and sealed white halogen lamps, use whatever is appropriate for the situation.

Dealing with rear-wheel steering might pose some serious stability problems at high spped.
-- ed, Apr 04 2006


cops are lazy and do not like the exitement of a high speed chase too much. Especially when they can make more catching all the little fish doing +5 kmh with a radar+camera. What else are licence plates for?
-- nietsch, Apr 04 2006


An inflatable police car mock up with two trunks and tail lights and no front ends would be seen as ready to roll by most going by the median. A hundred bucks of plastic screwed down so it don't blow away.

If only one in ten slows down to the speed limit, most of the rest of the traffic will have slow down as well.
-- popbottle, Apr 15 2017


Interesting to see all these account names that I've never seen before - archeological read...
-- normzone, Apr 15 2017


What about the bobbies on the beat? Shirley it should be possible to devise a special uniform, hat, rear-facing face mask and forward-facing hair, such that the policeman could actually have eyes in the back of his head, and pursue you by running backwards.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 15 2017


It would certainly make it easier for them to find their arses with both hands, currently something the vast majority of them seem to have extreme difficulty with ...
-- 8th of 7, Apr 15 2017



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