Ferrari into a Patrol Car after No One Wants to Buy it

The Colombian police authorities were recently confronted with this problem: what could they do with a low-mileage Ferrari 348 that was seized from a local drug lord and that no one wanted to buy?

Well, after some deep thought, they came up with a rather simple solution: turn the classic Ferrari into a patrol car painted in the Colombian national police's green and white colors, and tour the country before placing it permanently in a police museum.

The 1991 Ferrari model has only clocked around 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) and has been valued at US$250,000 by Colombian authorities.

The classic sports car was seized back in 2007 from Hernando Gomez Bustamante, also known as “Rasguno” or “Scratchy”, who is currently serving time in prison in the States for drug trafficking, money laundering and other crimes.

Up until recently, the vehicle was in the possession of Colombia's National Drug Office, or DNE, which was supposed to take care of seized assets from the illegal narcotics trade. But some 20 years after it was established, the government decided to shut down the division in September as…far too many drug assets were mysteriously disappearing, according to officials.

Authorities then went on to put the car for sale, but buyers stayed away, most likely due to fears of potential repercussions from drug traffickers related to Bustamante.

You can see more photos of the Ferrari 348 in Colombian Police colors over at Elcolombiano.

Chrysler Ram 1500 Joins the Police Force

Law enforcement and other emergency agencies have yet another option when it comes to their rides as the Chrysler Group has just introduced its new Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 Special Service package that follows in the footsteps of the Dodge Charger Pursuit vehicle.

The company says that the Walker, Texas Ranger-approved police-decked Ram 1500 features a selection of heavy-duty-adapted equipment such as the 100,000-mile sparkplugs, 220-amp alternator and a larger oil cooler.

It also gets additional welds in the front door structures to handle the weight of ballistic material used by law enforcement vehicle up-fitters.

Offered only in a Crew Cab configuration, the Ram 1500 Special Service truck is powered by the Chrysler Group's 5.7-liter HEMI V8 that delivers 390 horsepower and 407 lb.-ft. torque, and is matched to a six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive with standard ESC.

The new police truck is available for order through the Chrysler Group Fleet sales division.

New Ford Police NASCAR Races in Miami

While the appearance of police cruisers at a race is never a good sign, there's always an exception to the rule.

Take Ford for example. The automaker has just announced that its brand-new 2013 Police Interceptor Utility and Sedan models will serve as the pace cars for the 2011 Ford Championship Weekend NASCAR races at Homestead Miami Speedway from November 18 to 20.

“Using our new range of Ford products to pace signature events like Ford Championship Weekend is an important part of our marketing strategy,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing.

“We’re thrilled that we’re able to help launch the new Police Interceptors at Ford Championship Weekend, and know that the fans will be excited to see these unique vehicles performing out on track," Allison added.

The two Ford Police Interceptors are the 2012 Explorer-based Utility that will take its role as the lead pace car in all three races of the Ford Championship Weekend, and the Taurus-based Sedan with 365-ponies and a top speed of 148mph, which will serve as the split pace car for the weekend.