Top Gear (US) s03e01 Episode Script
Police Cars
Now, on "Top Gear " We travel to Detroit to find out who makes the best modern cop car.
Oh, that sucks so much.
Will it be Dodge, Ford, or Chevy? Interceptor! And whoever picks right gets a chance to drive the fastest cop car in America.
Detroit, Michigan, home to the big 3 automakers, Motown, and a few cosmetic fixer-uppers.
This city also gave us the Crown Victoria, the car of choice for 70% of U.
S.
police departments since 1997.
Everyone's seen these cars.
Everybody knows when they see these headlights with the amber on the inside in their rearview mirror, they usually say, "shit" and hit the brakes.
There are over one million Crown Vics in service as cop cars today.
So why does law enforcement love the Crown Vic so much? 'Cause they're tough as hell.
And let's be honest cops aren't that easy on cars.
They drive the Crown Vic like I drive a rental car.
But they're slow.
They go 129 miles an hour, which is about the top speed of a Toyota Yaris.
They have 250 horsepower.
They're huge, inefficient, old school frame.
And it's time for them to be replaced.
As of 2011, Ford discontinued the Crown Vic.
And now, the big 3 are locked in a battle to build its replacement.
So we'd each chosen one of the new cop cars.
And our challenge was to prove that our choice was the best.
But first, we wanted to give a fitting send-off to the retiring cop car champion.
I'm sorry to see the Crown Vic go.
It served the country well.
And I got really good at spotting them from long distances away.
This is awesome.
You don't have to stop at stop signs if you don't want to.
I mean This is it.
This is the first time I have ever ridden in the front seat of one of these things.
I believe that, actually.
Like, total dream come true.
And we can't get in trouble.
Don't you feel like you could do anything with a car like this? Did he just run a stop sign? I believe he did just run that stop sign.
Oh, it's on! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! I'm taking a shortcut.
Where you going? Cut him off! This is embarrassing.
It's a minivan! There he is.
Oh, yeah.
Nice shortcut.
Oh, my gosh.
I can't keep up with him.
He's gone.
We are getting beaten by someone on their way to soccer practice.
Man, that van is fast.
I cannot keep up with him.
It's just pitiful.
These cars are terrible.
Where'd he go? I got nothing, guys.
Soccer mom Stig had smoked us and revealed the Crown Vic's major Achilles heel.
The only logical thing to do now was to take my anger out on Rut.
Ohh! Ohh! Take that! Holy shit! Yeah.
Nice pit maneuver, jerk! I see you coming to get me, Adam.
It's not going to happen.
No! It's a push-o-war! Yeah! How's that, buddy? Where you going? Oh! Oh! The Crown Vics were dead.
But what was going to replace them? Cops need faster, better cars, preferably with the bumpers still attached.
That Yes! Was awesome.
Yes! Think we can just leave them there? They'll be fine.
All those police agencies looking for vehicles to replace their Crown Vics need to look no further, 'cause they don't get any better than this.
The 2012 Chevy Caprice PPV.
This is the fastest police car on the market, which isn't that surprising considering that the engine is basically the same as the Corvette.
This is what cops need.
It's comfortable, spacious, rear-wheel drive, and with 355 horsepower, even Tanner can't outrun them.
The Vic may have had the Crown for a long time.
With this new Chevy Caprice, it's time for the return of the king.
Rutledge must have beard in his eyes.
In the seventies and eighties, Dodge practically owned the cop car market with the Monaco and diplomat.
And with my choice, they're about to take it back.
That is the 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit, the most powerful vehicle law enforcement can buy.
It's got 370 horsepower, 397 pound feet of torque, and it's the Hemi.
They introduced the first generation in 2006, and it quickly became the favorite of many officers for its speed and agility.
When Dodge did the redesign in 2011, they took cues from the '68 Charger, and the result is a thing of beauty.
This is orwellian sinister.
This car doesn't say, "I'm pulling you over.
" This says, "I am here for your soul.
" The Dodge may be trying to chase down souls, but my choice doesn't give perps a chance.
Ford is determined to keep cops driving their cars.
They've come up with something special.
The 2013 Ford Police Interceptor.
It's twin turbo charged, all-wheel-drive, 365 horses of protect and serve fury.
It's based on the Taurus, but the Interceptor is packed with small changes that make a big difference for cops.
If you take just the doors, for example, they each have more than 45 pounds of additional bulletproofing, they're modified so they can be hosed out on the inside, and the rear doors open an extra 10 degrees for loading in your perps.
This car even has special wheels and tires designed to take a curb directly at 40 miles an hour.
Maybe Adam should have picked this one.
I think if you're looking for a police car, look no further.
Our first challenge was at the Ford proving grounds in Romeo, Michigan.
Ford's Michigan proving ground a 3,888 acre on-and off-road automotive torture chamber with everything necessary to break the soul of a vehicle.
Is that a high speed test track? Hell yes! But hey, when it's not your car, torture can be fun.
Side by side.
Ready? 3, 2, 1, go! Go! Go! Wait! I wasn't ready! Interceptor! Oh, Caprice, Caprice, Caprice.
No? Interceptor! Listen to these two Both have to drive with the siren on.
Hey, Rutledge, let's hear your siren.
Yeah.
Mine are just a little bit different, but I got 'em on.
Uh you have an ice cream truck noise, too? To mimic what it would be like to chase someone in our cars, the first official challenge was accelerating to 100 miles per hour and then back to zero.
The first one to stop would win.
Here's my only hope.
The torque from the turbo pulls me out of the hole quick.
I'm definitely going to need to jump on these guys right off the bat.
I'm not worried about the Charger.
For some reason, that Caprice is just so fast.
All right.
We got helmets for this.
I got the best brakes here.
The complaint with the brakes early on was that they wore out too quick.
I really don't care about that now.
All I care about is getting from 100 to zero the quickest.
Come on, tiny helmet.
Oh, son of a bitch.
Don't say anything.
Don't say anything.
That's really unimpressive when I do that.
Do you guys feel that over there? You guys ready? Born ready.
3, 2, 1, go! 30 40 Oh, there goes his turbos.
The twin turbo pulls out! Go, go, go! Come on, baby.
Oh, no! I'm getting pulled on! It's glorious.
70, 80.
Oh, really? 90 95, 100.
Aah! Brake! Oh, man! Yes! I'm a little bit dizzy.
Is it the acceleration? I don't know what it is.
I just know that that was magical.
Holy crap.
That was a demoralizing display of twin turbo power.
I'm sorry.
I'm out of here.
I've had enough.
I just don't get to win very often at these things anymore.
And I forgot how sweet it is.
Ahh.
Coming up, we put our cars and ourselves to the test against tear gas.
Oh, God, I'm gonna throw up.
And one of us gets to try and catch a bad guy in the fastest police car in America.
"Top Gear" had sent us to The Motor City to find out who made the best modern police car.
There were 70,000 new cop cars purchased by law enforcement last year alone.
And with the Crown Victoria no longer being made, that's a lot of opportunity for the big 3.
So far Tanner's Ford had won the acceleration and braking test.
And my Dodge and Rut's Chevy had been shut out.
Yes! We'd already hit the road and were headed for our next challenge at Michigan's Close Quarter Tactical training facility.
My Dodge may have been one challenge down, but I was still confident.
You could find a Dodge Charger Police Pursuit vehicle used in Canada, Mexico, Chile, Kuwait, Bahrain.
Even NASA uses it as a chase vehicle for rockets.
This is cool.
Here's the thing about the Caprice.
The only way to get one of these is to work for a government agency.
So let me tell you what you're missing.
You hear that? It's beefy, right? Engineers stripped out all the sound deadening and insulation from the engine compartment.
And the result is small block music.
Oh, this thing's fast.
What Ford has done is basically taken the police car and improved it in virtually every possible way with the Interceptor.
250 horsepower in the Crown Vic wasn't really enough to get police offers in trouble, but the 365 in this car is.
So it's tapered with all-wheel drive so it's actually usable power.
And the Interceptor, I gotta be honest with you, is pretty quick.
But there is one thing you can't do with all-wheel drive.
Rutledge doing a burnout.
Am I jealous? Am I jealous? Am I jealous? I'm jealous.
So, Rut, is everything safe and secure at the mall? I don't think Paul Blart Mall Cop would drive this investigator's car if that's what you mean.
Oh, it's an investigator's car, huh? You know, Detectives.
They have to go do detective things.
You know you've got a pimple on your roof.
Do people try to stop you to pop that? It's a very classic gumball light here in Michigan.
Oh, I thought the turkey was done.
Spending so much time in these cop cars brought back memories of our past run-ins with the po-po.
How many times would you say you've been pulled over? Prepare for a lie.
I would not say that it is definitely more than 50.
I would never say that.
I think I've been pulled over 6 times ever, 3 of which I got tickets, one time I got warned that my exhaust was too loud.
Was that for like a Volkswagen truck? No, no.
It was for a Honda.
I got out of a ticket once because the cop recognized my mole.
That's just gross.
Saved by the mole.
One time a lawyer told me to use a clown nose gag.
Let me guess, that didn't work.
I put a piece of foam on my driver's license on my nose, so I had a tiny little red nose on my driver's license picture.
And I kept a clown nose next to my steering wheel, and when I gave him the license and he looked at it and looked down at the driver's license, I put the clown nose on, and then when he looked back at me, I had it on, and he didn't even crack a smile.
Ha ha ha! Probably hates clowns.
He just wrote straight back and wrote me a fatty ticket.
After a trip down criminal memory lane, we arrived at Close Quarters Tactical, the location of our next challenge.
This is the place cops come to learn self-defense, shooting, and how to perform in high-stress situations.
"Indoor tactical facility.
" What in the Sam hell? I'm a little bit concerned about what it could be here.
Guns.
Hmm.
Oh, I have the challenge.
That's why you guys are looking at me like that.
That's right.
"To test how well your vehicles are made, you will now sit in them for 5 minutes while a tear gas grenade is detonated.
" A what? Roll back.
Tear gas? This is a terrible, terrible idea.
There's no way there's no way this ends well.
Wow.
The challenge was a test of our car's build quality.
First we'd park in a giant plastic bag with the windows up, have tear gas tossed in, and see if we could last 5 minutes without the gas seeping in.
The fact that we had to wear protective suits didn't feel us with confidence, but it did give us insight into how Rut deals with stress.
I feel like Napoleon dynamite.
I was up first.
Look at the look of solemn.
This sucks.
I am gen I have genuine fear about this.
Ok, fellas, so the signal is I hit the horn 3 times.
When you succumb to the gas.
Honk 3 times when I'm succumbing.
That sound dirty.
Just it's succumb, not succumbing.
Ready? Oh! Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole.
All right.
I'm being gassed.
Start the clock! Start the clock! Clock is running.
It seems so much worse now that he's in there.
Ok, the gas was just released.
And I can't smell anything.
But then again, I don't know if tear gas smells, so I don't know if that's an indicator.
I think maybe the first indication is watery eyes.
That's one minute.
Here's what I'm concerned about.
I'm concerned that the trunk is ventilated, because you can put electrical equipment in there.
That could be where the gas is gonna sneak in.
The minutes tick by, and I was impressed with how well Dodge had slid this thing up.
In 10 seconds, it'll be 4 minutes.
In 10 seconds, it'll be 4 minutes.
Why don't you just tell me at 4 minutes it's 4 minutes? Tell you what.
Are you hungry? No, I think I'm gonna throw up.
I'm gonna drive out of this bag and run you down.
Ahh! Ahh! Just hit the horn.
Just hit it.
3 times.
Ok.
There it is.
He just touched his face.
You can't touch your face.
And that's 5 minutes.
Get him out of there.
Look, there goes the zipper.
Ahh! He got him pretty quick.
Ok? Downwind is find.
Adam completed his 5 minutes just about intact.
Aah! It's hot.
It burns.
Don't rub your eyes.
Don't sweat.
Don't inhale.
You'll be fine.
My Interceptor was definitely Ford tough, but Ford air tight? I wasn't so sure.
Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole! Oh, shit.
Admittedly, Ford may have had a few quality issues in the past, the Probe and the Escort spring to mind, but my Interceptor was specifically made for police work.
It needed to be bulletproof, taser-proof, and doughnut-proof, so tear gas shouldn't be a problem.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.
Oh, it's starting to get to him.
Just let go, pal.
The end's almost here.
Oh, no, I just had to sneeze.
That's all.
Oh.
Good one.
You're at 3 minutes and 38 seconds.
What? Come on! I want out of this thing.
You can get out anytime you want.
Hit the horn 3 times.
Just 3 short honks and you're out of there.
Oh, no, no.
That was a big breath.
It burns.
It burns.
It burns.
That's 5 minutes.
Get him out of there.
All right, I'm out.
I'm out.
Oh, look at that.
All right, pal, help's on the way.
Get me the hell out.
There you go.
I'm fine.
I'm fine.
Good times.
Like Adam, I'd managed to make it to 5 minutes and complete the challenge.
And with one clear victory in the acceleration and braking tests, my Ford was ahead of the pack.
And as Rut was almost vomiting just watching us You're up! I had a hunch that my Interceptor would retain its lead.
Coming up, Rut faces his fears in the tear gas challenge.
I feel like I've been doing shots of Tequila.
Top Gear had sent us to the midwest to find the best modern cop car for America.
Each of the big 3 automakers had periods where they dominated the market.
And now that the Ford Crown Vic's being retired, each has a major interest in developing a bigger, badder version to take back the title.
So far, Tanner's Ford had won the acceleration and braking tests.
And we were in the middle of our second challenge to see whose car could best withstand a tear gas attack.
Both Adam and Tanner survived the full 5 minutes before being overcome by the gas.
It burns.
Now it was my turn.
Oh, God, I'm gonna throw up.
Oh, I got a nervous hurl coming up.
Looking good, Rut.
Yeah.
Looking great.
Chevy, I have a lot of faith in you.
Do not let me down right now, ok? All right, fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole, Rut! All right.
There went my glasses.
Oh, this sucks.
Did you see Oh, shit.
Wow, that starts fast.
I'm not sure if the Chevy had leaky doors or if it was all in my head, but it instantly felt like I had smeared my face with tabasco.
How you doing, big fella? My beard might be burning a little bit.
Ok.
Uh-oh.
I see him coughing.
I feel like I've been doing shots of Tequila.
He's starting to go.
That's it.
He's out.
Door's opening.
That was There you go.
Ok, just keep walking forward.
Great.
That is Take a hit of fan air.
Ok, I'm just gonna decrease my ratio Don't yeah, but don't To the earth here for a second.
Don't get down in your own spit.
That's nasty.
It might be worse.
I just need a second.
Oh, gosh.
Ahh.
Rut failed miserably, and only lasted 45 seconds.
But it may not have been Chevy build quality that was the problem.
Rut, I have a confession to make.
What's up? I opened your door.
The back door.
Of my car? As the bag was being zipped up.
- Just then? - Yeah.
- Why would you do that? - Yeah.
Well, that's not a nice thing to do at all.
Ok, it may not have been nice, but somebody's got to play the bad cop.
My Interceptor had won the fist challenge, and both Adam and I had survived the tear gas, so I was just ahead of him going into the final challenge.
And this time, there were guns involved.
We had to navigate a course designed to put us through everything a cop goes through in a 10-hour shift.
Fastest time would win.
First we'd have to put on a gun belt and bulletproof vest to see how easy it was to fit in the car.
Then we had to do donuts for as long as it took us to eat two donuts.
Next we had to drive over rough pavement while our police sharpshooter passenger blasted targets.
We'd get one second off our lap time for each target hit.
And finally, we had to do a classic Rockford maneuver reverse turn and race to the finish line.
All in all, it was a typical day in the life of a cop.
Rut was up first.
There you go.
Stretch it out.
All right, let's do this.
You ready? All right, you ready? 3, 2, 1, go! Go! Look at him.
Like a gazelle.
Really? Huh.
That is a bit obtrusive.
Be careful! I'm in there.
I'm in.
I got it.
Oh, my gosh! How much does this weigh? Ok.
Ok.
It's on backwards.
Is it on backwards? No, I got it.
No, that's right.
It's good.
Holy shit.
So I'm sitting on a gun! Ohh.
There you go.
Ok.
It took almost a minute just to suit up and get in the car, so I was really gonna have to blow through the donuts.
Good lord.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Oh, it's good.
It's sprinkles.
How much you want to bet he gets lost in his dust? Oh, crap! Now it was time to drive as smoothly as I could over rough terrain so that the marksman could shoot as many of the targets as possible.
Oh.
Ooh! That was good.
The guy's good.
Ok, so what'd he get, two? Missed that.
Missed that.
He got that one.
He got 5.
All right! Next was a 180-degree rockford turn.
Really ugly.
Oh, mine's probably gonna be uglier, I will say.
Then came the final turn and the finish line.
Co on, baby.
Aw, man.
Holy crap.
2:58.
Whew! - Is that fast? - I don't know.
Why does that remind me of the movie "Running Man"? I think those donuts are coming back up.
Ok.
Don't puke on this.
We gotta wear it.
You guys are in trouble.
You're up.
Aw, you had maple! Yeah.
Was one of those maple? It has maple frosting.
That's a lot of crap to wear in a car, though.
2:58, plus you bought yourself 5 seconds for the balloons the sharpshooter hit.
That's a 2:53.
All right, I'm up next.
Wipe your sweat out of that, will you? - Thanks for all your help.
- Mm-hmm.
Once I made it through the doughnut burp and body sweat, I was ready to go.
I had every confidence that my Dodge's superior handling would give me the win.
Ok, here we go.
In 3, 2, 1, go.
Go.
Early predictions.
He is going to wreck the hell out of that car.
All right, eat donuts.
One at a time.
He's over the cone.
- Is the barrel in trouble? - Yeah, barrel's Still standing.
He's going to make his passenger sick.
No way he ate two donuts.
He didn't.
It's really hard to eat donuts rapidly.
I thought you would just be like, gulp, gulp, done.
Get 'em, get 'em! 1, 2 That's it, big fella, you take 'em out! He's ahead of you by a minute.
Six You know he didn't eat that other donut.
Uh-oh, here comes the rockford.
That's not a Rockford, that's more like a crapford.
Ah, here we go, coming in.
He is definitely taking a donut literally.
Back up.
That was fast.
Ha ha! There's no way you ate two donuts doing those donuts.
That was like 15 seconds.
Ok, I got half a donut penalty, but, here's what happened.
That's that's not half that's all of a donut.
That's not all a donut.
That's you do the you're a geometry guy.
It's half a donut.
Now, that's weird.
That's weird.
It makes a circle.
- Oh, for God - Minute penalty! Get out 30 seconds, that's half a donut! It's a minute.
2:12 was your time, including the six seconds for the balloons you hit.
Add the minute - Add the minute.
- Brings it to 3:12.
That's not a minute penalty.
I disagree.
Being a cop's tough.
Sometimes you got to do it the hard way.
It's true.
Now it's your turn.
Get after it.
Coming up, Tanner fires up his ride.
I'm not slowing down for that.
But who will get the chance to chase down one of the fastest motorcycles in the world? "Top Gear" had sent us to Detroit to find out who was making America's best new cop car.
So far my Ford Interceptor was ahead of Rut's Chevy and Adam's Dodge.
It was the final challenge a grueling course that squeezed 10 hours of police work into a few minutes.
- Ok.
- Ok.
- Hey, both donuts.
- Yep.
I'm going to eat them both, it may take all day.
Even if it goes under his ass, you've got to eat it.
That's right.
You know what, here we go.
- In 3, 2, 1 - Go! Go! Look at him run.
Look at him, like school's out.
That's it.
Tuck your junk.
Four wheel drive, do your stuff.
Get these donuts started.
Going to drive around.
He's really just making circles.
But is he eating the donut? - They take a while to go down.
- Yeah, they do.
How do you do that every morning? All I need is some milk.
All right, one down, one down.
- This sucks.
- Oh, he's in the cream-filled right now.
He's like, why do they call it Boston Boston cream-filled? This is gross.
Oh, look at that.
That's quick.
Whoa! Oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh! I can't see 'em! Now you keep your head in 'cause I'm just going to bomb it.
I'm not slowing down at all.
There's no way that guy's shooting right now.
I think he's going to shoot Tanner.
He's just flying through it.
And we're back.
Go, go, go.
That was good.
Wow.
He can go faster than that.
It's There's the slide we're lookin' for.
That's it.
I hate him.
He looks like a cop that somebody washed in hot water.
Did you get all the donuts down? That was gross.
Hey, um, funny story.
What? It didn't appear as though you guys got any shots out.
He didn't get a single one? - Look! They were all there.
- Not a single one.
Everyone you went to save is dead.
Since you didn't get any, there's a minute penalty.
Really? You're going to pull out a minute penalty just because I went fast instead of slowing down? You didn't do your job.
You didn't do what a cop's job I went to the scene.
Avoid and evade.
Avoid and evade.
Don't kill everything that walks.
All right, what was his time? 3:33.
3:33.
2:33.
With the penalties, 3:33.
If you were better at eating donuts, you wouldn't have come in last.
- My God.
- Last.
- I came in first.
- You came in last.
- You can't just make up that if you don't hit any balloons - What? You guys suck.
Rut may have won the battle, but my Ford Interceptor had won the war.
And that meant I'd have the chance to drive something special.
The Interceptor may be quick, but there are some getaway vehicles that are even faster.
So what do the cops do then? To find out, I came here the docks of Long Beach, California.
Part of the busiest container port in America.
The docks are over 3,000 acres in size; the site of $100 billion in import and export annually, which makes them a hot bed of crime.
And while cars can be fast, every career criminal knows the getaway vehicle of choice is always, always a motorcycle.
Motorcycles generally are about twice as fast, to 60 miles per hour, and have a power-to-weight ratio double that of even the fastest cars.
Top speed is about the same, around 200 miles an hour.
But a motorcycle is much, much more agile.
So how would I ever catch one? This is the Corvette Z06.
It's the track version of Chevy's top of the line sports car.
At 505 horsepower, it's not the strongest.
And at even at $100,000, it's not the most expensive.
But it is remarkable for one thing it's a police car.
In 2009, the Wake County sheriff's department in North Carolina seized an almost-new Z06 in a drug bust.
They put it to good use by making it a high-speed pursuit vehicle on Interstate 40, instantly making it the fastest police car in America.
How fast is the Z06? Well, it's a lot faster than my Interceptor that won the police car challenge.
Its zero to sixty is 3.
8 seconds compared to the Interceptor at 5.
8.
It's more than 50 miles an hour faster.
But the advantage of a car like this is the handling.
Its near 50/50 weight distribution means you can do this A lot of concentrating to get in there.
Ok, we are going to get busted.
Wait a minute I'm a cop.
I can do whatever I want.
Oh, my gosh.
This thing sounds so mean.
Instead of a siren, they should just amplify the exhaust.
Nobody would run.
With a top speed of 198 miles per hour, the Z06 is undoubtedly fast.
But does it make a good police car? You know, this is not a practical car for a police officer.
Not the best at getting through the allies as it does bottom out a bit.
Oh! Yeah, that's not good.
You can't fit a computer in it.
You couldn't fit a perp in there, he'd have to be riding shotgun with you, which is probably not the best scenario.
I mean, there's hardly anything practical in a police sense about this car except high-speed chasing.
So it was clear the Z06 was only good for one thing The question was, how good? This is Ernie Vigil, and his 140 horsepower Triumph 1050 Speed Triple.
That bike will go zero to sixty in about 2.
5 seconds.
And Ernie's one of the best stunt riders on the planet.
So if you were robbing a bank and you could fit all your goodies in a man purse and you're trying to get away, this would probably be your guy.
But I'm not robbing a bank.
I'm the police.
Instead, I'm going to chase him.
The chase would be over a 5 mile course around the harbor.
The first section was a flat-out drag race that would definitely favor the bike's superior acceleration.
Next, we'd weave around the warehouses looking for the fastest route through.
Then it was onto the docks.
And because the Corvette was better at cornering, this giant maze of shipping containers would work to my advantage.
Finally, to win, I'd have to beat him across the finish line at the end of my jurisdiction on the far side of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
So, if I can cross the finish line before the bike, then I have proven that I can catch the fastest getaway machine in the country with a working real, live police car.
If I don't, pretty sure every bad guy's going to go get one of those.
Good to go, Ernie? Let's do this.
Ok, let's be honest.
Not a lot of chance here.
He's got triple the power to weight ratio.
It's only 2 feet wide and I can barely fit through a 6 foot gap.
The only thing I have going for me is the contact patch on the bike is super tiny between the tires and the road, so I can corner faster in this car.
So hopefully there's a lot of turns.
All right.
Let's do this, Ernie.
3 2 And go! Come on! Oh, my God, he's fast.
This was it.
If I didn't win, every cop in the country would be gunning for me.
So fast! Oh, he's going into the warehouse.
Oh, my God.
I don't think we're going to make it! "Top Gear" had sent us to Detroit, Michigan to try and find America's best modern police car.
Donuts! After testing a Dodge, Ford and Chevy, my Ford Interceptor came out on top.
Yes! By winning the challenge, I had won the privilege of racing the fastest cop car in America The Corvette Z06, against the ultimate getaway vehicle, an insanely quick Triumph Speed Triple.
He's so fast! Oh, he's going into the warehouse.
Oh, my God.
Inside, the bike had a huge advantage.
This car feels huge! The Corvette was almost scraping the walls, and I was losing him.
Where is he going? Where is he going? I can't fit through there.
We were neck and neck The bike inside, me outside.
Where is he? Where is he? Then Ernie burst out of the warehouse.
Oh shit, there he is! Time to give him a speeding ticket.
Not gonna happen, buddy.
Oh, he takes a shortcut.
Oh, no! It worked! With 3 miles to go, we raced into the docks.
I was praying for some tight corners, where the bike would leave me in the dust.
Come on.
Oh, corner speed.
I got him a little bit now.
He's a drifting biker, and it's so awesome! At this point, I would say that 4 tires are better.
On the braking.
Oh, I got him on the braking.
Oh, my gosh.
Look how slow he corners.
This is where the Corvette has the advantage.
Look at him leaned over and declining.
That is impressive.
Oh.
Oh.
Here we go inside.
Yes! Yes! Now the course started to weave in and out of huge piles of steel containers.
Ernie couldn't afford to lose it here, or he'd crash.
Bad for him, good for me.
Oh, my God, the power! So much grip! I'm having to hold the steering wheel 'cause the seat's just not good enough to hold you in with all of this lateral grip.
Good God.
As we slalomed through the containers, I pushed the Z06 hard to build on my slender lead.
After the containers, we headed for the dockside and a half-mile straightaway.
Ernie was back in the lead with just two miles to the finish.
Now we raced towards Vincent Thomas Bridge.
Its mile-and-a-half span was my last chance to reel in Ernie on his speed triple Or spend the rest of my life getting tickets from every cop who spotted me.
Oh, my God, he is good! It was time to lay down the law.
120.
Once we get up to speed, I'm hoping I can reel him in.
There he is.
My last hope lay in the raw power of the Z06.
Once we hit triple digits, the bike's acceleration would slow.
The Corvette's would just keep going.
I'm starting to reel him in a little bit.
It doesn't feel the most stable over 140.
I can tell you that.
See ya! Yeah! 505 horsepower.
I'm finally taking him on the bridge.
Now I just had to hold him off through the last corner.
Whoa, way down for this one.
Yeah! That's it.
I don't know why I'm so excited.
I barely got him.
Ernie fought the law, and the law won.
The Corvette Z06 may not be the most practical police car in the country, but I think we've proven there's not a perp alive that can outrun it.
Oh, that sucks so much.
Will it be Dodge, Ford, or Chevy? Interceptor! And whoever picks right gets a chance to drive the fastest cop car in America.
Detroit, Michigan, home to the big 3 automakers, Motown, and a few cosmetic fixer-uppers.
This city also gave us the Crown Victoria, the car of choice for 70% of U.
S.
police departments since 1997.
Everyone's seen these cars.
Everybody knows when they see these headlights with the amber on the inside in their rearview mirror, they usually say, "shit" and hit the brakes.
There are over one million Crown Vics in service as cop cars today.
So why does law enforcement love the Crown Vic so much? 'Cause they're tough as hell.
And let's be honest cops aren't that easy on cars.
They drive the Crown Vic like I drive a rental car.
But they're slow.
They go 129 miles an hour, which is about the top speed of a Toyota Yaris.
They have 250 horsepower.
They're huge, inefficient, old school frame.
And it's time for them to be replaced.
As of 2011, Ford discontinued the Crown Vic.
And now, the big 3 are locked in a battle to build its replacement.
So we'd each chosen one of the new cop cars.
And our challenge was to prove that our choice was the best.
But first, we wanted to give a fitting send-off to the retiring cop car champion.
I'm sorry to see the Crown Vic go.
It served the country well.
And I got really good at spotting them from long distances away.
This is awesome.
You don't have to stop at stop signs if you don't want to.
I mean This is it.
This is the first time I have ever ridden in the front seat of one of these things.
I believe that, actually.
Like, total dream come true.
And we can't get in trouble.
Don't you feel like you could do anything with a car like this? Did he just run a stop sign? I believe he did just run that stop sign.
Oh, it's on! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! I'm taking a shortcut.
Where you going? Cut him off! This is embarrassing.
It's a minivan! There he is.
Oh, yeah.
Nice shortcut.
Oh, my gosh.
I can't keep up with him.
He's gone.
We are getting beaten by someone on their way to soccer practice.
Man, that van is fast.
I cannot keep up with him.
It's just pitiful.
These cars are terrible.
Where'd he go? I got nothing, guys.
Soccer mom Stig had smoked us and revealed the Crown Vic's major Achilles heel.
The only logical thing to do now was to take my anger out on Rut.
Ohh! Ohh! Take that! Holy shit! Yeah.
Nice pit maneuver, jerk! I see you coming to get me, Adam.
It's not going to happen.
No! It's a push-o-war! Yeah! How's that, buddy? Where you going? Oh! Oh! The Crown Vics were dead.
But what was going to replace them? Cops need faster, better cars, preferably with the bumpers still attached.
That Yes! Was awesome.
Yes! Think we can just leave them there? They'll be fine.
All those police agencies looking for vehicles to replace their Crown Vics need to look no further, 'cause they don't get any better than this.
The 2012 Chevy Caprice PPV.
This is the fastest police car on the market, which isn't that surprising considering that the engine is basically the same as the Corvette.
This is what cops need.
It's comfortable, spacious, rear-wheel drive, and with 355 horsepower, even Tanner can't outrun them.
The Vic may have had the Crown for a long time.
With this new Chevy Caprice, it's time for the return of the king.
Rutledge must have beard in his eyes.
In the seventies and eighties, Dodge practically owned the cop car market with the Monaco and diplomat.
And with my choice, they're about to take it back.
That is the 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit, the most powerful vehicle law enforcement can buy.
It's got 370 horsepower, 397 pound feet of torque, and it's the Hemi.
They introduced the first generation in 2006, and it quickly became the favorite of many officers for its speed and agility.
When Dodge did the redesign in 2011, they took cues from the '68 Charger, and the result is a thing of beauty.
This is orwellian sinister.
This car doesn't say, "I'm pulling you over.
" This says, "I am here for your soul.
" The Dodge may be trying to chase down souls, but my choice doesn't give perps a chance.
Ford is determined to keep cops driving their cars.
They've come up with something special.
The 2013 Ford Police Interceptor.
It's twin turbo charged, all-wheel-drive, 365 horses of protect and serve fury.
It's based on the Taurus, but the Interceptor is packed with small changes that make a big difference for cops.
If you take just the doors, for example, they each have more than 45 pounds of additional bulletproofing, they're modified so they can be hosed out on the inside, and the rear doors open an extra 10 degrees for loading in your perps.
This car even has special wheels and tires designed to take a curb directly at 40 miles an hour.
Maybe Adam should have picked this one.
I think if you're looking for a police car, look no further.
Our first challenge was at the Ford proving grounds in Romeo, Michigan.
Ford's Michigan proving ground a 3,888 acre on-and off-road automotive torture chamber with everything necessary to break the soul of a vehicle.
Is that a high speed test track? Hell yes! But hey, when it's not your car, torture can be fun.
Side by side.
Ready? 3, 2, 1, go! Go! Go! Wait! I wasn't ready! Interceptor! Oh, Caprice, Caprice, Caprice.
No? Interceptor! Listen to these two Both have to drive with the siren on.
Hey, Rutledge, let's hear your siren.
Yeah.
Mine are just a little bit different, but I got 'em on.
Uh you have an ice cream truck noise, too? To mimic what it would be like to chase someone in our cars, the first official challenge was accelerating to 100 miles per hour and then back to zero.
The first one to stop would win.
Here's my only hope.
The torque from the turbo pulls me out of the hole quick.
I'm definitely going to need to jump on these guys right off the bat.
I'm not worried about the Charger.
For some reason, that Caprice is just so fast.
All right.
We got helmets for this.
I got the best brakes here.
The complaint with the brakes early on was that they wore out too quick.
I really don't care about that now.
All I care about is getting from 100 to zero the quickest.
Come on, tiny helmet.
Oh, son of a bitch.
Don't say anything.
Don't say anything.
That's really unimpressive when I do that.
Do you guys feel that over there? You guys ready? Born ready.
3, 2, 1, go! 30 40 Oh, there goes his turbos.
The twin turbo pulls out! Go, go, go! Come on, baby.
Oh, no! I'm getting pulled on! It's glorious.
70, 80.
Oh, really? 90 95, 100.
Aah! Brake! Oh, man! Yes! I'm a little bit dizzy.
Is it the acceleration? I don't know what it is.
I just know that that was magical.
Holy crap.
That was a demoralizing display of twin turbo power.
I'm sorry.
I'm out of here.
I've had enough.
I just don't get to win very often at these things anymore.
And I forgot how sweet it is.
Ahh.
Coming up, we put our cars and ourselves to the test against tear gas.
Oh, God, I'm gonna throw up.
And one of us gets to try and catch a bad guy in the fastest police car in America.
"Top Gear" had sent us to The Motor City to find out who made the best modern police car.
There were 70,000 new cop cars purchased by law enforcement last year alone.
And with the Crown Victoria no longer being made, that's a lot of opportunity for the big 3.
So far Tanner's Ford had won the acceleration and braking test.
And my Dodge and Rut's Chevy had been shut out.
Yes! We'd already hit the road and were headed for our next challenge at Michigan's Close Quarter Tactical training facility.
My Dodge may have been one challenge down, but I was still confident.
You could find a Dodge Charger Police Pursuit vehicle used in Canada, Mexico, Chile, Kuwait, Bahrain.
Even NASA uses it as a chase vehicle for rockets.
This is cool.
Here's the thing about the Caprice.
The only way to get one of these is to work for a government agency.
So let me tell you what you're missing.
You hear that? It's beefy, right? Engineers stripped out all the sound deadening and insulation from the engine compartment.
And the result is small block music.
Oh, this thing's fast.
What Ford has done is basically taken the police car and improved it in virtually every possible way with the Interceptor.
250 horsepower in the Crown Vic wasn't really enough to get police offers in trouble, but the 365 in this car is.
So it's tapered with all-wheel drive so it's actually usable power.
And the Interceptor, I gotta be honest with you, is pretty quick.
But there is one thing you can't do with all-wheel drive.
Rutledge doing a burnout.
Am I jealous? Am I jealous? Am I jealous? I'm jealous.
So, Rut, is everything safe and secure at the mall? I don't think Paul Blart Mall Cop would drive this investigator's car if that's what you mean.
Oh, it's an investigator's car, huh? You know, Detectives.
They have to go do detective things.
You know you've got a pimple on your roof.
Do people try to stop you to pop that? It's a very classic gumball light here in Michigan.
Oh, I thought the turkey was done.
Spending so much time in these cop cars brought back memories of our past run-ins with the po-po.
How many times would you say you've been pulled over? Prepare for a lie.
I would not say that it is definitely more than 50.
I would never say that.
I think I've been pulled over 6 times ever, 3 of which I got tickets, one time I got warned that my exhaust was too loud.
Was that for like a Volkswagen truck? No, no.
It was for a Honda.
I got out of a ticket once because the cop recognized my mole.
That's just gross.
Saved by the mole.
One time a lawyer told me to use a clown nose gag.
Let me guess, that didn't work.
I put a piece of foam on my driver's license on my nose, so I had a tiny little red nose on my driver's license picture.
And I kept a clown nose next to my steering wheel, and when I gave him the license and he looked at it and looked down at the driver's license, I put the clown nose on, and then when he looked back at me, I had it on, and he didn't even crack a smile.
Ha ha ha! Probably hates clowns.
He just wrote straight back and wrote me a fatty ticket.
After a trip down criminal memory lane, we arrived at Close Quarters Tactical, the location of our next challenge.
This is the place cops come to learn self-defense, shooting, and how to perform in high-stress situations.
"Indoor tactical facility.
" What in the Sam hell? I'm a little bit concerned about what it could be here.
Guns.
Hmm.
Oh, I have the challenge.
That's why you guys are looking at me like that.
That's right.
"To test how well your vehicles are made, you will now sit in them for 5 minutes while a tear gas grenade is detonated.
" A what? Roll back.
Tear gas? This is a terrible, terrible idea.
There's no way there's no way this ends well.
Wow.
The challenge was a test of our car's build quality.
First we'd park in a giant plastic bag with the windows up, have tear gas tossed in, and see if we could last 5 minutes without the gas seeping in.
The fact that we had to wear protective suits didn't feel us with confidence, but it did give us insight into how Rut deals with stress.
I feel like Napoleon dynamite.
I was up first.
Look at the look of solemn.
This sucks.
I am gen I have genuine fear about this.
Ok, fellas, so the signal is I hit the horn 3 times.
When you succumb to the gas.
Honk 3 times when I'm succumbing.
That sound dirty.
Just it's succumb, not succumbing.
Ready? Oh! Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole.
All right.
I'm being gassed.
Start the clock! Start the clock! Clock is running.
It seems so much worse now that he's in there.
Ok, the gas was just released.
And I can't smell anything.
But then again, I don't know if tear gas smells, so I don't know if that's an indicator.
I think maybe the first indication is watery eyes.
That's one minute.
Here's what I'm concerned about.
I'm concerned that the trunk is ventilated, because you can put electrical equipment in there.
That could be where the gas is gonna sneak in.
The minutes tick by, and I was impressed with how well Dodge had slid this thing up.
In 10 seconds, it'll be 4 minutes.
In 10 seconds, it'll be 4 minutes.
Why don't you just tell me at 4 minutes it's 4 minutes? Tell you what.
Are you hungry? No, I think I'm gonna throw up.
I'm gonna drive out of this bag and run you down.
Ahh! Ahh! Just hit the horn.
Just hit it.
3 times.
Ok.
There it is.
He just touched his face.
You can't touch your face.
And that's 5 minutes.
Get him out of there.
Look, there goes the zipper.
Ahh! He got him pretty quick.
Ok? Downwind is find.
Adam completed his 5 minutes just about intact.
Aah! It's hot.
It burns.
Don't rub your eyes.
Don't sweat.
Don't inhale.
You'll be fine.
My Interceptor was definitely Ford tough, but Ford air tight? I wasn't so sure.
Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole! Oh, shit.
Admittedly, Ford may have had a few quality issues in the past, the Probe and the Escort spring to mind, but my Interceptor was specifically made for police work.
It needed to be bulletproof, taser-proof, and doughnut-proof, so tear gas shouldn't be a problem.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.
Oh, it's starting to get to him.
Just let go, pal.
The end's almost here.
Oh, no, I just had to sneeze.
That's all.
Oh.
Good one.
You're at 3 minutes and 38 seconds.
What? Come on! I want out of this thing.
You can get out anytime you want.
Hit the horn 3 times.
Just 3 short honks and you're out of there.
Oh, no, no.
That was a big breath.
It burns.
It burns.
It burns.
That's 5 minutes.
Get him out of there.
All right, I'm out.
I'm out.
Oh, look at that.
All right, pal, help's on the way.
Get me the hell out.
There you go.
I'm fine.
I'm fine.
Good times.
Like Adam, I'd managed to make it to 5 minutes and complete the challenge.
And with one clear victory in the acceleration and braking tests, my Ford was ahead of the pack.
And as Rut was almost vomiting just watching us You're up! I had a hunch that my Interceptor would retain its lead.
Coming up, Rut faces his fears in the tear gas challenge.
I feel like I've been doing shots of Tequila.
Top Gear had sent us to the midwest to find the best modern cop car for America.
Each of the big 3 automakers had periods where they dominated the market.
And now that the Ford Crown Vic's being retired, each has a major interest in developing a bigger, badder version to take back the title.
So far, Tanner's Ford had won the acceleration and braking tests.
And we were in the middle of our second challenge to see whose car could best withstand a tear gas attack.
Both Adam and Tanner survived the full 5 minutes before being overcome by the gas.
It burns.
Now it was my turn.
Oh, God, I'm gonna throw up.
Oh, I got a nervous hurl coming up.
Looking good, Rut.
Yeah.
Looking great.
Chevy, I have a lot of faith in you.
Do not let me down right now, ok? All right, fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole, Rut! All right.
There went my glasses.
Oh, this sucks.
Did you see Oh, shit.
Wow, that starts fast.
I'm not sure if the Chevy had leaky doors or if it was all in my head, but it instantly felt like I had smeared my face with tabasco.
How you doing, big fella? My beard might be burning a little bit.
Ok.
Uh-oh.
I see him coughing.
I feel like I've been doing shots of Tequila.
He's starting to go.
That's it.
He's out.
Door's opening.
That was There you go.
Ok, just keep walking forward.
Great.
That is Take a hit of fan air.
Ok, I'm just gonna decrease my ratio Don't yeah, but don't To the earth here for a second.
Don't get down in your own spit.
That's nasty.
It might be worse.
I just need a second.
Oh, gosh.
Ahh.
Rut failed miserably, and only lasted 45 seconds.
But it may not have been Chevy build quality that was the problem.
Rut, I have a confession to make.
What's up? I opened your door.
The back door.
Of my car? As the bag was being zipped up.
- Just then? - Yeah.
- Why would you do that? - Yeah.
Well, that's not a nice thing to do at all.
Ok, it may not have been nice, but somebody's got to play the bad cop.
My Interceptor had won the fist challenge, and both Adam and I had survived the tear gas, so I was just ahead of him going into the final challenge.
And this time, there were guns involved.
We had to navigate a course designed to put us through everything a cop goes through in a 10-hour shift.
Fastest time would win.
First we'd have to put on a gun belt and bulletproof vest to see how easy it was to fit in the car.
Then we had to do donuts for as long as it took us to eat two donuts.
Next we had to drive over rough pavement while our police sharpshooter passenger blasted targets.
We'd get one second off our lap time for each target hit.
And finally, we had to do a classic Rockford maneuver reverse turn and race to the finish line.
All in all, it was a typical day in the life of a cop.
Rut was up first.
There you go.
Stretch it out.
All right, let's do this.
You ready? All right, you ready? 3, 2, 1, go! Go! Look at him.
Like a gazelle.
Really? Huh.
That is a bit obtrusive.
Be careful! I'm in there.
I'm in.
I got it.
Oh, my gosh! How much does this weigh? Ok.
Ok.
It's on backwards.
Is it on backwards? No, I got it.
No, that's right.
It's good.
Holy shit.
So I'm sitting on a gun! Ohh.
There you go.
Ok.
It took almost a minute just to suit up and get in the car, so I was really gonna have to blow through the donuts.
Good lord.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Oh, it's good.
It's sprinkles.
How much you want to bet he gets lost in his dust? Oh, crap! Now it was time to drive as smoothly as I could over rough terrain so that the marksman could shoot as many of the targets as possible.
Oh.
Ooh! That was good.
The guy's good.
Ok, so what'd he get, two? Missed that.
Missed that.
He got that one.
He got 5.
All right! Next was a 180-degree rockford turn.
Really ugly.
Oh, mine's probably gonna be uglier, I will say.
Then came the final turn and the finish line.
Co on, baby.
Aw, man.
Holy crap.
2:58.
Whew! - Is that fast? - I don't know.
Why does that remind me of the movie "Running Man"? I think those donuts are coming back up.
Ok.
Don't puke on this.
We gotta wear it.
You guys are in trouble.
You're up.
Aw, you had maple! Yeah.
Was one of those maple? It has maple frosting.
That's a lot of crap to wear in a car, though.
2:58, plus you bought yourself 5 seconds for the balloons the sharpshooter hit.
That's a 2:53.
All right, I'm up next.
Wipe your sweat out of that, will you? - Thanks for all your help.
- Mm-hmm.
Once I made it through the doughnut burp and body sweat, I was ready to go.
I had every confidence that my Dodge's superior handling would give me the win.
Ok, here we go.
In 3, 2, 1, go.
Go.
Early predictions.
He is going to wreck the hell out of that car.
All right, eat donuts.
One at a time.
He's over the cone.
- Is the barrel in trouble? - Yeah, barrel's Still standing.
He's going to make his passenger sick.
No way he ate two donuts.
He didn't.
It's really hard to eat donuts rapidly.
I thought you would just be like, gulp, gulp, done.
Get 'em, get 'em! 1, 2 That's it, big fella, you take 'em out! He's ahead of you by a minute.
Six You know he didn't eat that other donut.
Uh-oh, here comes the rockford.
That's not a Rockford, that's more like a crapford.
Ah, here we go, coming in.
He is definitely taking a donut literally.
Back up.
That was fast.
Ha ha! There's no way you ate two donuts doing those donuts.
That was like 15 seconds.
Ok, I got half a donut penalty, but, here's what happened.
That's that's not half that's all of a donut.
That's not all a donut.
That's you do the you're a geometry guy.
It's half a donut.
Now, that's weird.
That's weird.
It makes a circle.
- Oh, for God - Minute penalty! Get out 30 seconds, that's half a donut! It's a minute.
2:12 was your time, including the six seconds for the balloons you hit.
Add the minute - Add the minute.
- Brings it to 3:12.
That's not a minute penalty.
I disagree.
Being a cop's tough.
Sometimes you got to do it the hard way.
It's true.
Now it's your turn.
Get after it.
Coming up, Tanner fires up his ride.
I'm not slowing down for that.
But who will get the chance to chase down one of the fastest motorcycles in the world? "Top Gear" had sent us to Detroit to find out who was making America's best new cop car.
So far my Ford Interceptor was ahead of Rut's Chevy and Adam's Dodge.
It was the final challenge a grueling course that squeezed 10 hours of police work into a few minutes.
- Ok.
- Ok.
- Hey, both donuts.
- Yep.
I'm going to eat them both, it may take all day.
Even if it goes under his ass, you've got to eat it.
That's right.
You know what, here we go.
- In 3, 2, 1 - Go! Go! Look at him run.
Look at him, like school's out.
That's it.
Tuck your junk.
Four wheel drive, do your stuff.
Get these donuts started.
Going to drive around.
He's really just making circles.
But is he eating the donut? - They take a while to go down.
- Yeah, they do.
How do you do that every morning? All I need is some milk.
All right, one down, one down.
- This sucks.
- Oh, he's in the cream-filled right now.
He's like, why do they call it Boston Boston cream-filled? This is gross.
Oh, look at that.
That's quick.
Whoa! Oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh! I can't see 'em! Now you keep your head in 'cause I'm just going to bomb it.
I'm not slowing down at all.
There's no way that guy's shooting right now.
I think he's going to shoot Tanner.
He's just flying through it.
And we're back.
Go, go, go.
That was good.
Wow.
He can go faster than that.
It's There's the slide we're lookin' for.
That's it.
I hate him.
He looks like a cop that somebody washed in hot water.
Did you get all the donuts down? That was gross.
Hey, um, funny story.
What? It didn't appear as though you guys got any shots out.
He didn't get a single one? - Look! They were all there.
- Not a single one.
Everyone you went to save is dead.
Since you didn't get any, there's a minute penalty.
Really? You're going to pull out a minute penalty just because I went fast instead of slowing down? You didn't do your job.
You didn't do what a cop's job I went to the scene.
Avoid and evade.
Avoid and evade.
Don't kill everything that walks.
All right, what was his time? 3:33.
3:33.
2:33.
With the penalties, 3:33.
If you were better at eating donuts, you wouldn't have come in last.
- My God.
- Last.
- I came in first.
- You came in last.
- You can't just make up that if you don't hit any balloons - What? You guys suck.
Rut may have won the battle, but my Ford Interceptor had won the war.
And that meant I'd have the chance to drive something special.
The Interceptor may be quick, but there are some getaway vehicles that are even faster.
So what do the cops do then? To find out, I came here the docks of Long Beach, California.
Part of the busiest container port in America.
The docks are over 3,000 acres in size; the site of $100 billion in import and export annually, which makes them a hot bed of crime.
And while cars can be fast, every career criminal knows the getaway vehicle of choice is always, always a motorcycle.
Motorcycles generally are about twice as fast, to 60 miles per hour, and have a power-to-weight ratio double that of even the fastest cars.
Top speed is about the same, around 200 miles an hour.
But a motorcycle is much, much more agile.
So how would I ever catch one? This is the Corvette Z06.
It's the track version of Chevy's top of the line sports car.
At 505 horsepower, it's not the strongest.
And at even at $100,000, it's not the most expensive.
But it is remarkable for one thing it's a police car.
In 2009, the Wake County sheriff's department in North Carolina seized an almost-new Z06 in a drug bust.
They put it to good use by making it a high-speed pursuit vehicle on Interstate 40, instantly making it the fastest police car in America.
How fast is the Z06? Well, it's a lot faster than my Interceptor that won the police car challenge.
Its zero to sixty is 3.
8 seconds compared to the Interceptor at 5.
8.
It's more than 50 miles an hour faster.
But the advantage of a car like this is the handling.
Its near 50/50 weight distribution means you can do this A lot of concentrating to get in there.
Ok, we are going to get busted.
Wait a minute I'm a cop.
I can do whatever I want.
Oh, my gosh.
This thing sounds so mean.
Instead of a siren, they should just amplify the exhaust.
Nobody would run.
With a top speed of 198 miles per hour, the Z06 is undoubtedly fast.
But does it make a good police car? You know, this is not a practical car for a police officer.
Not the best at getting through the allies as it does bottom out a bit.
Oh! Yeah, that's not good.
You can't fit a computer in it.
You couldn't fit a perp in there, he'd have to be riding shotgun with you, which is probably not the best scenario.
I mean, there's hardly anything practical in a police sense about this car except high-speed chasing.
So it was clear the Z06 was only good for one thing The question was, how good? This is Ernie Vigil, and his 140 horsepower Triumph 1050 Speed Triple.
That bike will go zero to sixty in about 2.
5 seconds.
And Ernie's one of the best stunt riders on the planet.
So if you were robbing a bank and you could fit all your goodies in a man purse and you're trying to get away, this would probably be your guy.
But I'm not robbing a bank.
I'm the police.
Instead, I'm going to chase him.
The chase would be over a 5 mile course around the harbor.
The first section was a flat-out drag race that would definitely favor the bike's superior acceleration.
Next, we'd weave around the warehouses looking for the fastest route through.
Then it was onto the docks.
And because the Corvette was better at cornering, this giant maze of shipping containers would work to my advantage.
Finally, to win, I'd have to beat him across the finish line at the end of my jurisdiction on the far side of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
So, if I can cross the finish line before the bike, then I have proven that I can catch the fastest getaway machine in the country with a working real, live police car.
If I don't, pretty sure every bad guy's going to go get one of those.
Good to go, Ernie? Let's do this.
Ok, let's be honest.
Not a lot of chance here.
He's got triple the power to weight ratio.
It's only 2 feet wide and I can barely fit through a 6 foot gap.
The only thing I have going for me is the contact patch on the bike is super tiny between the tires and the road, so I can corner faster in this car.
So hopefully there's a lot of turns.
All right.
Let's do this, Ernie.
3 2 And go! Come on! Oh, my God, he's fast.
This was it.
If I didn't win, every cop in the country would be gunning for me.
So fast! Oh, he's going into the warehouse.
Oh, my God.
I don't think we're going to make it! "Top Gear" had sent us to Detroit, Michigan to try and find America's best modern police car.
Donuts! After testing a Dodge, Ford and Chevy, my Ford Interceptor came out on top.
Yes! By winning the challenge, I had won the privilege of racing the fastest cop car in America The Corvette Z06, against the ultimate getaway vehicle, an insanely quick Triumph Speed Triple.
He's so fast! Oh, he's going into the warehouse.
Oh, my God.
Inside, the bike had a huge advantage.
This car feels huge! The Corvette was almost scraping the walls, and I was losing him.
Where is he going? Where is he going? I can't fit through there.
We were neck and neck The bike inside, me outside.
Where is he? Where is he? Then Ernie burst out of the warehouse.
Oh shit, there he is! Time to give him a speeding ticket.
Not gonna happen, buddy.
Oh, he takes a shortcut.
Oh, no! It worked! With 3 miles to go, we raced into the docks.
I was praying for some tight corners, where the bike would leave me in the dust.
Come on.
Oh, corner speed.
I got him a little bit now.
He's a drifting biker, and it's so awesome! At this point, I would say that 4 tires are better.
On the braking.
Oh, I got him on the braking.
Oh, my gosh.
Look how slow he corners.
This is where the Corvette has the advantage.
Look at him leaned over and declining.
That is impressive.
Oh.
Oh.
Here we go inside.
Yes! Yes! Now the course started to weave in and out of huge piles of steel containers.
Ernie couldn't afford to lose it here, or he'd crash.
Bad for him, good for me.
Oh, my God, the power! So much grip! I'm having to hold the steering wheel 'cause the seat's just not good enough to hold you in with all of this lateral grip.
Good God.
As we slalomed through the containers, I pushed the Z06 hard to build on my slender lead.
After the containers, we headed for the dockside and a half-mile straightaway.
Ernie was back in the lead with just two miles to the finish.
Now we raced towards Vincent Thomas Bridge.
Its mile-and-a-half span was my last chance to reel in Ernie on his speed triple Or spend the rest of my life getting tickets from every cop who spotted me.
Oh, my God, he is good! It was time to lay down the law.
120.
Once we get up to speed, I'm hoping I can reel him in.
There he is.
My last hope lay in the raw power of the Z06.
Once we hit triple digits, the bike's acceleration would slow.
The Corvette's would just keep going.
I'm starting to reel him in a little bit.
It doesn't feel the most stable over 140.
I can tell you that.
See ya! Yeah! 505 horsepower.
I'm finally taking him on the bridge.
Now I just had to hold him off through the last corner.
Whoa, way down for this one.
Yeah! That's it.
I don't know why I'm so excited.
I barely got him.
Ernie fought the law, and the law won.
The Corvette Z06 may not be the most practical police car in the country, but I think we've proven there's not a perp alive that can outrun it.