A Lotus Sports car was donated to the West Midlands police last week making it the first elite sports vehicle to be used by a UK police force.

The impressive vehicle, which boasts a top speed of 168mph and achieves 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds, will join the Midlands police force for a two week trial after it was generously donated by Evora.

Lotus have previously offered their latest models on loan to police forces in the UK including the Exige model which was used temporarily by the West Sussex police, and the Espirit model which was loaned to another force.

In several European countries, the use of sports cars by police officers is relatively common. German police officers have a number of Porsche 911 sports cars at their disposal, while the Italian police trump the lot as they once has a specially adapted Lamborghini Gallardo within their fleet.

Motorists in the West Midlands area will have to keep their eyes peeled to spot the latest Lotus model as the car has been transformed into a working police car with full branding, flashing lights, and police badges. The Lotus will be used to patrol the busiest highways in the West Midlands area including several major motorways.

The police officers hope the presence of the speedy sports car will discourage motorists from trying to out-run police officers if they are asked to pull over. The West Midlands police hope the Lotus sports car will provide them with an opportunity to interact with the public more, and send out a stronger message as regards to road safety.