Luxury NSX patrol car donated to police in Japan's Mie Pref., roars around Suzuka track
SUZUKA, Mie -- A patrol car converted from Honda Motor Co.'s NSX luxury sports car was donated to Mie Prefectural Police by the president of a real estate company on April 21.
The NSX police car, painted in black and white and bearing the emergency phone number "110" as its license plate, sped around the Suzuka Circuit where the donation ceremony took place. This is the second instance nationwide, following Tochigi Prefecture, where an NSX patrol car has been donated.
The latest donor is Toshiya Kobayashi, 43, president of the real estate company Smart based in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, who is an enthusiast of motorsports. He learned about patrol cars converted from sports cars and thought that many people would be delighted to see one at the Suzuka Circuit, where the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix is held.
In June last year, during a visit to watch a race, Kobayashi directly proposed the idea to prefectural police officials engaged in public relations activities, leading to the donation. Kobayashi said, "It looks even cooler than I imagined, and gets me excited. I hope it will be used in enlightenment activities so that children will be attracted to the police."
According to the prefectural police, the total cost, including purchase and modification, was about 25 million yen (roughly $177,000). The engine has a displacement of approximately 3,500 cc, and the vehicle measures 4.49 meters in length, 1.94 meters in width, and 1.215 meters in height.
Yoji Tsurusawa, head of the prefectural police, expressed gratitude for the donation, saying, "We gratefully accepted the offer to use the vehicle for police activities. We will operate it effectively to ensure it is widely recognized by the citizens of the prefecture."
(Japanese original by Nene Haseyama and Masaya Shibuya, Tsu Bureau)
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