BMW has been making emergency vehicles since the
1950s. And it’s brought out its latest for RETTmobil – Europe’s biggest
exposition of first-responder vehicles. But the one that’s caught our eye,
while made by the same group, isn’t a BMW at all. Yes, it’s a Mini.
A John Cooper Works hot hatch, to be specific. In
top form, the performance-oriented retro hatchback packs a 2.0-liter turbo four
good for 231 hp and 320 Nm of torque. That
gives it a 0-100 kh/h time of 6.1 seconds – when equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission, or 6.3 seconds with the
manual. Either way, it’s pretty quick.
The show car is fitted with strobe
lights and a special livery that takes Germany’s typical Polizei paintjob in an
altogether more vibrant, “urban” direction. It almost looks like it was applied
by street kids and wasn’t left to dry before hitting the Autobahn in response
to some emergency or another.
Of course the Bavarian automaker is also showcasing
some of its own-brand vehicles in emergency-vehicle trim. The new X3 debuts at
the show in xDrive20d spec, alongside 2 Series Gran Tourer (in 220d xDrive
trim), as doctor’s express vehicles. Another X3 joins an X1 xDrive20d as a
mobile command posts. And there’s an F750 GS set up by BMW Motorrad for police
duty.
