In Part 2, we explore further European operators of the Zuffenhausen machines: the Dutch Korps Rijkspolitie, Swedish Polisen, Finnish Poliisi and the Hellenic Astynomia
The Porsches became the symbols of the Dutch Rijkspolitie, being the force’s flagships for more than three decades. Photo Courtesy of Rijkspolitie archives
Dutch Korps Rijkspolitie
Any account of Porsche police cars must, sooner or later, arrive at the singular story of the Rijkspolitie—the Dutch National Police. Between 1962 and 1993, the force was the largest law-enforcement operator of Porsche vehicles, with more than 500 of the company’s cars passing through its ranks over the course of nearly three decades.
If you drove on Dutch roads during the 70s-90s, I’m almost certain you have at least once crossed paths with the Porsches of the Rijkspolitie. Photo Courtesy of Rijkspolitie archives
This story begins in the late 1950s, when the specialized branch of the Rijkspolitie responsible for patrolling all roads within the Netherlands, the Verkeersgroepen (General Traffic Service), was going through a rough patch: at the time, there was no speed limit on Dutch motorways, with reckless and speedy drivers being a normal occurrence. The consequence was a strain on the police and rescue services, which had to respond to a large number of incidents.
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