Photo: Ali Yerlikaya on Facebook
Imagine for a second that your local police department announces out of the blue that it added 23 cars to its fleet, and most of these new rides were very pricey vehicles. It happened in Turkey! Some law enforcement agents will drive luxury or exotic cars while they're at work.
Can you imagine being pulled over by a Ferrari 488 GTB and not being in Italy when it happens? You don't need to! Plan a visit to Istanbul, Turkey, rent a fast car, go above the speed limit, and you might get to see a supercar in your rearview mirror with flashing lights on its roof.
Besides the Ferrari, some of Turkey's luckiest police officers will also have access to a Bentley Continental GT, a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, two Land Rover Range Rovers, various generations of the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, GLS, E-Class, and A-Class, a few Volvo XC90s, some BMW 1 Series (F20 LCI), a Peugeot SUV, a VW Golf, and a Nissan Juke.
Turkey's minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, attended the ceremony where these cool rides were presented in their Police attire. He explained that the vehicles were part of a large bust that had an Australian at the top. The man known as Hakan Ayik was allegedly running all the illegal operations. He was suspected of drug trafficking and owned a hotel in Istanbul. His assets have been confiscated.
A month after his arrest, Turkey's Ministry of the Interior decided not to wait any longer. It took all the cars that were part of the bust and transformed them into Police vehicles.
Yerlikaya said that all the units (including the swanky Bentley and Porsche) will be "at the nation's service." That's not bad, and it's certainly going to look good in the eyes of tourists who will see these cars roaming around.
However, one could make the argument that Istanbul's Police force would have benefitted more from the sale of these very expensive cars. Properly maintaining a Ferrari, a Bentley, and an all-electric Porsche will not be cheap. The two Range Rovers could also rack up some eye-watering servicing bills, considering they're not known for reliability.
Repairs aside, most of the seized cars are also not very fuel-efficient. That should be something to consider, given that taxpayer money is involved.
But we might just be witnessing a very expensive PR campaign or a show of force. Let's see if these cars will last. Keeping a Ferrari with its engine on for hours isn't a very good idea.
Finally, we can't help but wonder what that poor Nissan Juke was used for. It was probably driven by the latest guy or gal joining the criminal organization.
Besides the Ferrari, some of Turkey's luckiest police officers will also have access to a Bentley Continental GT, a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, two Land Rover Range Rovers, various generations of the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, GLS, E-Class, and A-Class, a few Volvo XC90s, some BMW 1 Series (F20 LCI), a Peugeot SUV, a VW Golf, and a Nissan Juke.
Turkey's minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, attended the ceremony where these cool rides were presented in their Police attire. He explained that the vehicles were part of a large bust that had an Australian at the top. The man known as Hakan Ayik was allegedly running all the illegal operations. He was suspected of drug trafficking and owned a hotel in Istanbul. His assets have been confiscated.
A month after his arrest, Turkey's Ministry of the Interior decided not to wait any longer. It took all the cars that were part of the bust and transformed them into Police vehicles.
Yerlikaya said that all the units (including the swanky Bentley and Porsche) will be "at the nation's service." That's not bad, and it's certainly going to look good in the eyes of tourists who will see these cars roaming around.
However, one could make the argument that Istanbul's Police force would have benefitted more from the sale of these very expensive cars. Properly maintaining a Ferrari, a Bentley, and an all-electric Porsche will not be cheap. The two Range Rovers could also rack up some eye-watering servicing bills, considering they're not known for reliability.
Repairs aside, most of the seized cars are also not very fuel-efficient. That should be something to consider, given that taxpayer money is involved.
But we might just be witnessing a very expensive PR campaign or a show of force. Let's see if these cars will last. Keeping a Ferrari with its engine on for hours isn't a very good idea.
Finally, we can't help but wonder what that poor Nissan Juke was used for. It was probably driven by the latest guy or gal joining the criminal organization.
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