Regarding the phenomenon of high-speed speeding, Japan, the mainland's maritime neighbor, has a lot of say. You may have all seen drag racing anime such as "Head Text D" or "Bayshore MIDNIGHT", and the depiction of drag racing activities in them makes people boil with blood. In fact, after entering the 21st century, Japan's collective drag racing and individual speeding behavior has decreased significantly, and it is not as frequent as we see in film and television works. In addition to the increasingly stringent regulations, the due diligence of traffic police law enforcement and the increasing density of electronic eyes, the high-speed patrol vehicles of traffic police have also played a great role, they give police officers on duty enough confidence to catch up with the perpetrators, so as to avoid a series of accidents. Among the patrol cars, there are quite a few two-door sports cars, which are very popular with fans, and these two-door police sports cars are also the protagonists we introduce today.
Take a back seat and start potting
When it comes to police sports cars, we must first understand why it has become a patrol car for the Japanese police. This is mainly because in the middle of the last century, the rise of the Japanese rioters, drag racing and other illegal acts have been repeatedly prohibited. The Japanese police, however, were unable to catch the perpetrators due to poor police equipment.
With the rapid development of Japan's economy, newly built highways have also become a passageway for intercity connections. In addition to the rioters and drag racing parties, some people also like to drive sports cars fast on the highway. At this time, the police began to try to modify the vehicle or purchase a more high-end sports car, so that the police can have a "battle" with the perpetrators.
The Rioters reached their peak in the 1980s and were in a state of decline year by year under the suppression of the Japanese government. In the Heisei period, Japan suffered an economic bubble, people's living standards have declined, and to a certain extent, it has also affected the number of rioters and drag racing parties. In the 21st century, the work of the high-speed team is not as high as the previous load, and some sports cars are gradually taking a back seat, but the reasons that really affect the withdrawal of sports cars from the mainstream are mainly as follows:
1. Budget is limited
Generally speaking, police headquarters in various parts of Japan have strict budgetary restrictions on their subordinate traffic enforcement departments. Sports cars like the Lexus LC and Honda NSX are priced at more than 15 million yen, and three Toyota Crowns can be bought at the same price. Many sports cars are donated by individuals/car companies, but the maintenance of these vehicles will not be counted in the regular budget, so the police headquarters will have to occupy other budgets for daily operation and maintenance of vehicles.
2. Vehicle maintenance costs are too high
Some domestic sports car players may not run their cars to 10,000km a year, and the patrol cars of the Japanese highway team will exceed this number in a month. Most of the high-speed teams use a 24-hour non-stop patrol method, with police officers working three shifts, and the vehicles do not even turn off for a day, and the vehicles have a mileage of at least 500 km a day. As a result, patrol cars change their tires on average every two months, and brake pads need to be replaced more frequently, not to mention other maintenance costs that increase as the number of kilometers increases. Sports cars are not affordable, which is a headache for the police headquarters.
3. The practicality of the vehicle is not high
Finally, the vehicle is not very practical, the sports car basically adopts a 2+2 seat layout, the arrested perpetrator will be arranged in the back seat, the space is relatively tight, and it is not convenient to get on and off the car. In short, two-door sports cars are not as practical as four-door models. At the same time, sports cars are generally not comfortable enough to ride, and some police officers are also quite critical of this.
So are these sports cars useless? Nor are they, they appear on some safety awareness days or anniversaries. The public's enthusiasm for sports cars is still very high, which is also conducive to the police to popularize the safety knowledge of the public. These sports cars gradually retreated to the second line, did "clerical work", and also became potted plant groups.
Tochigi Prefectural Police: Sports cars are never a thing
Speaking of police sports cars, tochigi prefectural police have something to say. Tochigi Prefecture, located in central Honshu, Japan, is an integral part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area of Japan. Tochigi Prefectural Police has always had a tradition of introducing sports cars as special vehicles for high-speed teams.
In addition, tochigi prefectural police also own a number of sports cars such as the Nissan Fairlady Z. However, according to extranet data, these models basically do not participate in the duty task. In a recent police and civilian publicity campaign, they also made their full appearances, adding a lot to the event. Many people say that the tochigi prefectural police are really trenches, but everyone uses donated vehicles, and the following headquarters is really "trenchless".
Metropolitan Police Department: Rich and affordable
All prefectural, prefectural, and prefectural police stations in Japan are called police headquarters, and only the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters is called the Metropolitan Police Department. Of course, the name of the Metropolitan Police Department belongs to the historical evolution, and it is not very special. However, because it is located outside the Sakurada Gate, the Metropolitan Police Department has a special place in the Japanese police system, and they even have more police sports cars than other regions.
Mark X Modellista is not too much to introduce, it is actually our domestic imported and domestic Toyota Ruizhi. In addition to the high activity of the Mark X, the Saitama Prefectural Police used the Subaru WRX S4 as a high-speed patrol vehicle. Compared to many sports cars, these 4-door models are more practical. Interestingly, due to the relatively single purchase of vehicles by the police, the Mark X you can see on the Tokyo Expressway in the early morning is basically a plainclothes police car, which is also the experience summarized by many Japanese underground drag racing parties.
Editor's comments: Unlike the mainland, in Japan, drag racing behavior is regarded as a historical legacy, and because of this, there is a high-speed traffic police team dedicated to cracking down on high-speed crimes, which also gives birth to the tradition of two-door sports cars as patrol cars. I believe that before you read this article, you may think of the thrilling scene of the police driving a sports car to chase the perpetrator. But the reality is that police sports cars have basically become "civilian personnel", and they are not needed to pursue the perpetrators.
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