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Peugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to Carabinieri

Since Alfa Romeo and Fiat stopped making adequate, serious hatchbacks, the famous Italian Carabinieri have had to look elsewhere for their patrol cars, it seems. The latest example of this is a Peugeot 308 GTi, a French-made pocket rocket that will enter duty chasing baddies and tax evaders alike.
Peugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to Carabinieri 10 photos
Photo: Peugeot
Peugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to CarabinieriPeugeot 308 GTi Hot Hatch Delivered to Carabinieri
In the past few years, the Carabinieri have also received SEATs from Spain and a couple of 510 horsepower Alfa patrol sedans. The 308 GTi is undoubtedly a cool little police car. It's got the sort of deep blue paint and red stripes that make you want to add it to your want to add it to your Matchbox collection. It also comes with all the stuff it needs for Carabinieri duty: a siren, flashing lights in the grille, safety equipment, an illuminated writing desk in the rear parcel with dual USB socket and system, and radio.

The 308 GTi is not the sort of thing you expect to see being used by the police. This hot hatch is the lightest in its class at about 1.2 tons and features a high-strung 1.6-liter turbo producing 272 horsepower. I also feature 19-inch wheels, stiff suspension, and a Torsen mechanical diff. The Italian policing force will no-doubt also appreciate that it can do the standing kilometer in 25.3 seconds.

What we don't understand is why the Italians are advertising a foreign car brand, though. Could you imagine the German police using an Alfa Romeo? And don't they already have a fleet of Giuliettas, including some 240 HP models?

We think it's a sort of good-will gesture since Group PSA Italia contribute about 3 billion euros to the local economy, employ 700 people directly and another 8,000 through suppliers. The Peugeot 308 GTi will be used only in Rome and is an indeterminate-period free loan from Peugeot. In any case, here's a video of the Carabinieri toy being put through its paces on the Misano track.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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