(ANSA) - The Emilia-Romagna regional division of Italy's highway patrol has been given the second Lamborghini squad car donated by the Rome-based Nando Peretti Foundation.
The 10-cylinder, 500-horse-power 'Gallardo' has a top speed of 309 kph and will be used for both normal police work, including high-speed chases, and to respond to medical emergencies, such as transporting organs for transplants.
The flashy sports car, which retails for some 150,000 euros and can go from zero to 100kph in 4.2 seconds, is a twin of the one given to the highway police in the central Lazio region last year.
In order to deal with medical emergencies, which will have priority, the car is equipped with a defibrillator, a climate controlled compartment for organs and a full first aid kit. For its regular police work, the squad car has a special videorecording system to clock speeding and tape other road violations.
It also has a state-of-the-art device which can scan license plates at a distance and then run them through a data bank to determine whether the vehicle is being sought.
Because of the nature of the sports car, 16 patrolmen were given special training on how to drive a Lamborghini. During Tuesday's presentation of the car, Lamborghini Chairman Stephan Winkelmann said that he and the automaker's 700 employees were proud to see their car carry the highway patrol colors, light blue and white, and for the fact that it will be used in the region where the car is produced, in Sant'Agata Bolognese.
Although it is still produced in Italy, Lamborghini is currently owned by Audi and is thus part of Germany's Volkswagen group. The Nando Paretti Foundation was set up by Elsa Peretti, the youngest daughter of Nando Peretti (1896-1977), the businessman who built Anonima Petroli Italiana (API) into one of Italy's leading oil companies.
The Foundation primarily supports programs which benefit health, the environment and nature.
