The Italian police have chosen… Spanish-built police cars

Italy’s state police and the fearsome Carabinieri have announced a new official police car. It is not Italian. It is a Seat Leon.

Yep, out go the gorgeous Alfa Romeo 159s, and in comes a fleet of specially modified Leons.

Why would the Italian police choose a non-Italian police car? Who knows. Seat however, has made sure that the 4,000 cars will be able to stand up to some serious punishment.

So, taking a 148bhp, 2.0-litre diesel engined Leon as a base, Seat has then fitted special suspension and tyres, along with bulletproof glass. So bulletproof is this bulletproof glass, that it is able to withstand .44 and .357 Magnum bullets thanks to its 22mm reinforced windscreen.

Suffice to say, it withstood the barrage of 870mph shots without incident during testing. There was also a test which involved launchers armed with rocks. Again, no fault.

Inside, there’s a metal partition for crims, along with armoured panels and the usual gamut of paraphernalia that any self-respecting Italian police officer requires.

Sure, it’s a cool thing, but is it the best fit for the Italian police? Or would you rather they were outfitted with a fleet of bulletproof, 503bhp Alfa Giulias? Yeah, you already know the answer to that one…