Italy's latest Tonale police car is quite the looker

Thinking of doing a bit of sporty driving in Italy during the holiday season? This could well be the car you'll need to keep an eye out for.

Alfa Romeo has unveiled the Polizia di Stato livery (complete with a Pantera badge along the front doors) of its new Tonale, which is set to be used by the Italian police to keep crime in its local areas under control.

The new police car was handed over to the police force at the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile in Turin at an event attended by Italy's Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, Chief of Police Vittorio Pisani, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato, and Managing Director of Stellantis Italia, Santo Ficili.

The cars are said to be fitted with a 161bhp engine and a seven-speed automatic transmission, alongside ballistic and anti-shatter protection, as well as what Alfa Romeo reveals is 'Mercurio Extended' technology - designed to speed up checks during operations (and possibly to better identify tourists caught speeding along Italy's gorgeous roads). A total of 850 cars are set to join the police force starting from December 2023.