A Lamborghini Gallardo has been donated to the Italian State Police (Polizia di Stato) by Automobili Lamborghini SpA. The V10, 500 bhp 190 mph performance car has been liveried in the colours of the state police and includes a siren and flashing lights on the roof. This is the first time that a Lamborghini will be used by Italian police.

The Gallardo police car will be used by the traffic police (Polizia Stradale) during emergency situations on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway in southern Italy. It is equipped with apparatus to transmit and receive information and images in critical situations such as road traffic accidents, fires and other disaster situations. It will also be fitted with the Italian police’s Provida system which records traffic violations and sends images in real-time, and has a direct connection to the police database as well as the Elsag ‘Autodetector’ system for number plate recognition.

In addition, the Gallardo is equipped with first aid equipment including defibrillator apparatus with the capability to perform electrocardiograms, and automatic diagnosis of arterial pressure and the presence of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. The car will also be used for the transportation of plasma and human organs for transplant.

The police’s use of their Lamborghini Gallardo won’t be limited to fair-weather driving: as well as the benefits of the Gallardo’s permanent four-wheel drive, during winter months it will also sport special ‘Sottozero’ snow tyres developed by Pirelli for Lamborghini.