You need to visit the Italian Police Car Museum
Mid-80’s I bought my first Ferrari, a series II 250 GTE. I’m not sure why, but I was justifiably proud when I went to share this story. I have never imagined a GTE driven in anger and I believe this story could only happen in Italy.
It’s 1960, and thoroughly disgusted by being outdriven by thieves and ne’er-do-wells who routinely stole Jags and Maseratis as getaway cars, Italian National Police chief Angelo Vicari asked his Rome police officers what they needed to combat the bad guys. Someone in the back of the room shouted, “Di cosa abbiamo bisogno, eccellenza? Una Ferrari!” What do we need? A Ferrari. And a legend was born. No matter who was responsible for the outburst, a policeman named Maresciallo Armando Spatafora got the credit, and got to drive the car.
Many other cars converted from civilian life to police cars are on display in the Italian Police Car Museum, mostly Alfa Romeos and Fiats. Today a Lamborghini patrols the highways, but none has the storied history of this 1962 Ferrari GTE, which was actively in service until 1973.
The Chief of Police and the Italian Government reached out to the Ferrari factory and Enzo sent two new GTE’s to Rome, undoubtedly considering the marketing angle, having the sound of one of his 12 cylinder Ferraris screaming down past the Piazza di Spagna. Two Ferraris were driven to Rome, and in one of its first chases was fatally crashed. The second serial #serial 3999 arrived along with Enzo himself. Il Commandatore had come to observe and make sure a cop could actually drive a Ferrari in a high-speed pursuit.
At various trial runs around the city, Signore Ferrari was so impressed by Spataforas’ skill behind the wheel that he offered him a position on his racing team on the spot. Spatafora turned him down, joking that it was safer to run down bad guys than being a Ferrari racing driver.
#3999 was all black, like all the other Roman police cars. Fitted with a radio, siren, flashing lights and the Squadra Mobile emblem, a leaping black panther, a symbol of the Roman police force that had been in continual use since the days of all black Alfa Romeo squad cars.
Spatafora’s exploits are legend and it’s rumored criminals use to pride themselves on their ability to outrunning him, which according to newspaper reports at the time, they did very, very seldom.
In April 2020, the 3999 was offered for sale to the public, along with the original build sheets and and a Ferrari Classiche certification. The car is somewhere out there in the world, and drop me a note if you know its present location.
Though the Police Car Museum website says it is temporarily closed, that could mean anything in Italy. Closed for an hour, a month or permanently, it is Rome, and the only thing Italy can guarantee is a wonderfully warm experience, regardless of what you do.
