I had a 54 plate Vectra 3.2 GSi for a year. While it was not much to look at inside or out, it was comfortable for long periods, but importantly the suspension and overall handling was well fettled and it gripped like a limpet, and would actually do a real 160, without floating.
Had one briefly, you can essentially straightshift from 1st to 2nd, then on into 3rd at 70mph with the wheels spinning the whole time, fighting the torquesteer. Utterly mad cars. Shite, but mad.
Nice to hear the vectra being praised. As a Vauxhall employee I had a few vectra 's on the lease scheme and was always happy to drive them. We also had the signum which was a slightly stretched vectra not astra. Great video and thanks for sharing.
I had the pleasure of starting Police Interceptors way back in 2005 as the Inspector in charge of the team. It was a petrol heads dream!. A blank sheet of paper to get whatever cars I wanted. We had a fantastic relationship with ProDrive and Mitsubushi, so had all the various evos and scoobys including the Limited GB270... now GB268 as we wrote them off!. We also had an Audi RS6 and Honda NSX to play with !!...but the public never knew that....A fantastic team of dedicated officers who were the best in the business at catching criminals. Essex too had a plain Vectra and a plain 3 series....looked like battered pieces of crap but went like stink!...who would have known interceptors would be so popular...and a little known fact about the name....we called them interceptors after the black car driven by Mad Max !!!!!
@@frazerguest2864 When Police Interceptors became quite a thing in Essex, so there was more interaction with the car cruiser scene which had become massive. Car companies were throwing cars at us. Honda offered a bright red NSX. We were never going to say no to that!. It was striped up with magnetic removable graphics and a set of blue lights so we could use it operationally. The looks we got at traffic lights were ridiculous!. Two cops in a new NSX super car. It sounded fantastic. It was only bettered by the bright yellow Lambo Diablo!. .
@@paulmoor595 : Cheers Paul. I’ve seen the pictures in the motoring press of marked-up Lotus Esprits, Lamborghinis etc, but I just assumed they were used for PR. Was the NSX and it’s like ever used operationally ?
@@frazerguest2864 No it was used in a full operational capacity during its time. It was always deployed with other more standard cars. Unfortunately we only had that for a few months over a summer, but a great experience and fantastic sounding car at high revs!.
I served in the Met. I loved the Ford Fiestas, small car, wasn’t a response vehicle but those little cars were like a go cart, and around the back streets there was no beating them. In a straight line they bottomed out at a pretty low speed tbh. It was Mario Carts, and I whipped the $hit out of some of the more powerful vehicles purely because they were so small and narrow, and you could whip a 180 handbrake turn in fractions of a second. I’m glad my policing days are behind me, but they were such a blast too. I have regrets in life, but my time in the Met isn’t included.
Back in the 60s they used Mini Cooper S 1275s which would only do about 95, although v few cars back then handled as well or went above 90 apart from Jags and Lotus Cortinas
Among the cars we had in the late 80s/early 90s in the Traffic Department in Tayside Police, were Vauxhall Senators, firstly the 12 valve and latterly the 24 valve ones. They were great cars, very quick and responsive and comfortable to drive. Least favourite one was a Sierra Cosworth, too low to the ground and you felt every little bump. Most noticeable change for me nowadays is the sheer volume of traffic on the road now, compared to then. I don’t know what the figures are, but I think people of my age will particularly notice it.
The Senators were beasts and I remember the fear they instilled in motorists when I was a kid. After the Omega no more Australian/American type cheap and cheerful police cars for us in the UK. Just pathetic lease deal special Panda cars or expensive luxo barges.
I know what you mean about that engine, I have drive a few of the 2.8T Saab that uses the same engine as the VXR Vectra, has so much torque, actually only a single twin scroll turbo. Love your videos, and feel very greatful for all the Police out there that put there life's on the line. I think I speak for everyone here, that we are all eternally greatful!
Ben.... I can't express how grateful I am that you are willing to share the stories and feeling that you have, the emotions and feelings you share, it's great to see someone opening up. I have always wanted to be a police officer but never taken the plunge and not really sure how to go about it. The human face you put on your "character " I hope changes the opinion of the Police to some people. Which makes them a bit more thoughtful when interacting with Officer's. We are all people. Anyway take care and keep up the content. If you're ever near Cardiff and we are allowed to meet people I'll be happy to get you a drink of your choice. Thank you Ben
When I started we had Ford escorts, truly a hateful car, rotating blue light and no siren (only traffic cars had sirens), last car i drove was a Volvo S60R response car, it was rapid machine and drank fuel like a rabid alcoholic. Definitely right about the V6 Vauxhall’s they were epic.
I had a Vectra VXR as an allocated car whilst at Heckmondwike, I agree with you Ben, a great traffic car. I also thought that the MK 1 Skoda Octavia VRS was a brilliant traffic car whilst I was at Toller Lane but they were a little bit fragile and were destroyed by all the speed bumps in the area.
As a trucker it is the same scenario as yours Ben as a new driver you always get the bag of spanners...makes you appreciate the better ones later on in your career.
It sometimes works in our favor though, the bag of spanners I was given was an Actros with close to 1 million miles on it obviously it crapped out within a matter of months and I ended up with a brand new rental truck. The rental truck I got given was a Volvo FH16 with almost all the options ticked that was a lovely couple of weeks.
Volvo V/XC70s were my favourite, absolutely the best seats for being sat in for extended periods, and I didn't find them particularly slow as a regular V, the XC was a little more sluggish. The only car I would have preferred over them would have been my personal Saab 95 HOT Aero which was even more comfortable, and felt much quicker. Although I didn't have quite the same weight in regularly as a duty vehicle.
1.7 turbo diesel Astra that had been to the moon and back, it was my car and I looked after it. It was then replaced with a new 306 d turbo that handled like a roller skate. I did my advanced but none of them cars brought a smile to my face like those two. Love the stories and I can relate to it all. Thanks for showing the human side of bobbying.
My dad is a former traffic cop. He also loved the 2.8 vectra. Personally I never really saw the attraction of them but I'd love to have a go of one, see what the attraction is.
After watching Interceptors my 7 year old daughter loved meeting you Ben at the Supercar meet Baildon a couple of years ago, she was so impressed sitting in the 330D Touring sounding the siren and trying a hat on,what a good day that was. I'm not sure if any of the film crew footage was used that day though.
I remember going to R.T.C. when I was in the fire service and the traffic officer turning up in his BMW saying he'd felt the back end twitching in the wet just as you said.
Another great video Ben. The V70 might be a slow car on the road but can't beat it for practicality!!!! Very useful for musicians who have huge musical instruments to lug about!!
Senator 24v was fast apparently. My grandad was in a shop and overheard a copper saying he had pulled 150mph in it hahah. 204bhp 3.0l brand new at the time
When he claimed people were looking at a shitty slabby sided Vectra and thinking “that’s a mean car” I was confident enough to disregard the rest of the video and bail out. Numpty. 😂
Ben all the best for the future, as a fellow vectra 2.8 v6 special driver i can concer they were awesome and thank God I didn't need to pay for the fuel.
You're mentioning cars from an era when I did traffic policing. Our Highway Patrol units in most of Australia were either the 6.0L V8 SS Commodore (Holden) or a V8 5.0L or turbo 6 Ford Falcon. I couldn't imagine driving something as small as a Vectra.
In my time in the Irish police you never got to choose your car - you were detailed for a specific car. In Limerick we only had two in our station - think it was tango 51 (T51) or T52. Usually (1980's) it was a 1.6L Cortina and later a Sierra or Montego with the odd Toyota Carina. They used to get new cars every year back then. We also had some dogs of cars - I recall tourists laughing at us (5 gardai) in a Renault 4 rushing to a row or the time I was chasing a car in a fucking Yaris - the biggest POS cars ever. The Vectra's were my favourite Garda cars too. I was so impressed with those I bought a new one as my own private car. We also had a plethora of smaller cars - corollas, Mazda 323's, a few Maestro's and Fiesta's. The traffic corps usually had the nicest cars. 2.0GL Cortinas and high spec vectra's while the plain cloths special task force had unmarked blue Ford Granada's which were as obvious as hell they were garda cars with all the aerials and the Dublin reg numbers. Probably the best garda car I had in my career was the 2012 Ford Focus estate we had. Glad I am not around now with all the Hyundies they are using - I know I would have hated those.
The tallaght garda had two red mondeos....the pursuits these were in were legendary..on and off road and rarely broke. I saw one racing through jobstown chasing a robbed clio....through the fields.
The Vectra!!! Big yes, we had a proper 'stealth bomber' that everyone fought over. 2.8 twin turbo auto estate. It was the dogs doo dahs. No, I'm not or ever could have been a traffic officer. We used to supply training cars to Northumbria up at Ponteland. Happy days indeed. I've had all kinds over the years, Porsche, Ferrari, Merc, BMW and Mustang but I still need a Vectra twin turbo for the collection. Thank you for the recollection
Had three vectras and a signum, absolutely loved them. 53 Vectra, Edition 100, 2.0T 04 Vectra, Edition 100, 2.0T (Remapped) 56 Vectra 1.9 CDTi (150) 07 Signum 1.9 CDTi (120) This was before they were the Chinese crap they are today, but honestly some of the best, comfiest cars I’ve ever had. There was a “trust” that they gave. odd really, but do miss them.
Came upon this 39 seconds after uploading, with 1 other view ! Really enjoy your candid and very interesting uploads. This one no different so far , a car called Christine 😂 Best wishes in all you do. Thanks for ... being you!
Extremely surprised at the Vectra love here, sure they had a great engine but they did not handle particularly well and the brakes were completely inadequate for a car of that performance, borderline dangerous.
I know the police versions had the 345mm front brakes. Apart from that, I'm pretty sure they were standard VXRs. Also find it strange he gives it so much love. Maybe not a lot else to compare it to or it was just one of those 1 in a 100,000 cars that "feels right" some how.
@@larry365 A family friend once let me drive his, it was very quick but it was also the most numb and lacking in feel/feedback performance car I think I've ever driven..... but maybe in a way that is also what makes it a good relaxing, non fatiguing traffic car for extended driving periods?
They pulled the fuses for stability control, it’s not supposed to be fully deactivated by design but Top Gear defeated it completely - they didn’t state that though, shitty car journalism.
i had a great one last week - driving down the M6 north of Preston. 2x Police Traffic cars parked at the side. As i go passed - A bentley bentayga went past me doing minimum 120mph. The officers are so busy talking that they completely missed it. The Bentley never slowed down at all haha. Lucky boy that day
Bought an ex police xdrive 30d about 18 months ago….minus the little bumps and knicks inside it’s an absolute machine, I can see why you lads used them 🥵🥵 👍👍👍
Please everyone watching, buy Ben's absolutely amazing book. I've just finished it and it's truly a work of art. Incredibly gripping but also the most honest account possible. For the price it's an absolute must read.
The Vectra B 2.5 was my christine I absolutely loved that car it looked like something out of robocop and sounded like thunder, everything just moved out of your way when you were behind them whether you were on a call or not
There was a few years where I piloted an ex-Thames Valley Omega V6, that was a fun car. You could feel the size and weight of it (even after it was all stipped out) but if you got it to hook up in the corners and once you got that weight transfer you could just burry the throttle, catch the slide if you had to, and just keep it pinned. It was very predictable even when the back end was sliding about. I found the BMWs almost felt too light, like there wasn't enough feedback, very easy to drive, but almost too easy like there wasn't enough connection to the road and the mechanical feeling of the car.
Vxr veccy were spot on, I was Impressed with the torque more than anything' after that I moved on to a Golf r32' a m3 and now my most sensible a A class Amg line oh and my overlander D2 landy. Must be gutting for you not in the pursuit game anymore. I always used to think that Traffic Bobby's had the best Job in the world' that is without the visuals they had to see. Best wishes and thanks for that interview.
Ive watched a lot of your programs on tv over the years and as much as I enjoyed some of the series I didn`t like them all and was amazed sometimes when officers would chase after a car, eventually stop the car with a TPAC and while an officer was pulling the driver out the drivers door other officers would be smashing the rear windscreen with batons and shouting " GET OUT THE CAR " did make laugh.
Wow…. I even pre-empted the rotating beacon noise as well before you done it 🤣, that brought back some memories and yes it was a Jam Sandwich as well🙌🏼.
This reminded of when my husband got stopped for speeding in my Mums Lada ! The policeman's words were are we in a rush sir ? Well yes Woolworths have just got some Tracey islands in , wonder how many times all that was retold:) keep them coming best thing about fridays .
It was mk2 Escorts with the pale blue and white paint job that I remember as a young lad. Supposedly, some police cars were delivered in the blue and some in white so to make them stand out, they swapped doors and bonnets etc and came up with the mixed colour schemes. Traffic units didn’t really exist back then but my first recollection of a traffic car was the Rover SD1 which we also called jam sandwiches - our local ambulance service used the same Buick derived V8 3.5 engine in its Range Rovers and they sounded great! TVR bored them out to five litres and got 340 BHP from them in their sports cars. Can’t remember what came after those but I do recall Vauxhall Senators not long after that. I remember seeing Essex police using Escort Cossies (very apt!) then it spiralled into Subarus and Evos and the true interceptor cars.
The Vauxhall Vectra 2.8v6 turbo was never twin turbo, it's a twin scroll turbo! One turbo and two inlets to the turbine wheel from two banks of the engine, this allows a fast spool up time.
His accent makes him difficult to understand. But his enthusiasm shines through. An officer friend of mine also liked the 2.8 turbo Vauxhall (Opel where I live) and regularly hit 140 mph on the motorway in pursuits.
Here in the US the best police car I ever drove was a 1994 Chevy Caprice classic with an LT1 350 corvette engine. True 160MPH police car. Terrible handling though. Under hard braking the rear end wanted to pass you. But the lights were halogen rotators. The faster you drove the faster the lights flashed. They made a figure 8 pattern and we're quite hypnotic at night. Best new patrol car is the Ford Police Utility twin turbo. Much more comfortable but not as fast. Better handling though even as and SUV lol.
I was a special constable with gmp in 2009 and worked with traffic now and then, I absolutely loved them Vectras. I remember doing 155 mph for about 3 miles on the motorway and it used 1/4 tank of fuel 😂
Only 155mph?? The driver wasnt giving it the full beans then. I know what you mean about the fuel economy, but thats why I LPG conververted mine, much more easier on the wallet.
We had the Jags 3.0 XF & Audi A4s 3.0 quattros aswell as the BMW 330d & 530d on CMPG... BBC Motorway Cops. Done my advanced course in 2005 in a 3.2V6 Omega & the ST220 Mondeo. 2 part final drive assessment. Front wheel drive for an hour then Rear Wheel drive for an hour. 15 years on traffic am now advanced police driver trainer....no more night shifts ! 👍
There was a Harrier called Christine at Joint Force Harrier, RAF Cottesmore, can’t remember the tail number, but once it shut its front wheel bay doors on the head of some poor engineer who was up inside the bay maintaining it. It did other things besides trying to eat people, but that was its worst trick.
Anybody that has worked within a company that has a 'fleet' knows what Ben means about the jalopy 😆 Absolutely spot on description mate 👍 If you are a 'driver' you know your vehicles, you know which one(s) feel(s) right, and you KNOW which ones to try and avoid like the plague! I have been into work an hour earlier before, just to get the better vehicle! Another fantastic video Ben. Nice to see you pushing forward with this 👌👊💙
That's so true, your life is in the cars hands, some try to kill you and some are unchangeable so you can corner hard in the wet at 160mph and get a slide or aquaplane but not be worried it will bite you. I would stroke the good cars and love them. BMW are fast in a line but they take off easily and land heavily, end up looking like a grinder underneath.
I remember an unmarked grey Vectra estate 54/56 plate( I forget which) West Yorkshire Police had, always kept an eye out for that... Also before that once saw a gold rover 800 coupe(unmark) I sniggered when I saw that.
Yay it’s Friday, cheers Ben, once got stopped on the M606 in my Cavalier Sri, fastest car I ever had. It was the days before yellow boxes at the side of the road (never had a ticket from one of them) I got pulled at just short of a ton on a quiet day, light traffic and took my ticket on the nose. Oh it was a vectra I believe v6?
@@Simbacu The police used plenty of 6 cylinder Vauxhall’s over time with the main Cult being the senator 24v using the bullet proof C30se engine, also using cav v6’s c25xe, latter the vectra b 2.5/2.6 v6’s and omegas x25/26se engines and so on, was only the vectra c that had the 2.8T z28net and 3.2 y32se and at that time he was pulled over it would’ve been a 2.5/2.6 vectra B
Have got a 2007 white ex police T5 , it’s the dogs knackers I must say. had a Saab 95 aero hot years ago, almost put it in a field on the first corner I went around , torque steer was awful aswell
Brilliant Ben absolutely brilliant. I love traffic cars within the police. I think my favourite is the BMW X5. Ik most of the X5s are ARVs but some are used as Traffic cars. Brilliant machines. Fantastic vid Ben absolutely loving your stories of your experiences serving in the police 🇬🇧💪👍
Had a T5R years ago. Ballistic on the straights. But the turbo lag was horrible. I don’t get how he could say they were slow. The autos only had 4 gears. I don’t know many cars that would do 120 in 3rd.Would eat Porsches. But on the corners, Jesus, a corsa would pull away.
Funny , my Signum 2.8 twin turbo was my best Vauxhall’s and I had a few .. loads of room and 300 bhp with a chip. I’ve had many AMGs since and I still rate that Vauxhall’s engine very highly ..
Could you go into more detail about reliability of cars? It’s insane the mileage they clock up and I genuinely wonder if these BMW’s are getting new engines 🤣
A Ford Capri 2.8 Injection....used in my force area (Greater Manchester Police) back in the day or a Rover 3500 SD1, largely used by the Metropolitan Police in London but West Yorkshire Police also had them (I believe) - you’d get motorists willing to enforce the rules of the road no problem! 😉
You need nowadays faster cars to keep up with all the fast fleeing cars. You see sometimes they going into the field, and the police cars can not always follow them, witch car is the best to chassing in the field? Good story again Ben and Josh, thanks, have a great weekend. looking forward to another video of you when you looking at old episodes, with your own comments.
Rolling!!! Have probably driven all the same cars more or less. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. It’s great to see all forces have the same ‘issues’. My memories are built around the sunny streets of London mostly with a sprinkling of Gwent. Talking of fun....pursuit in an X5, middle of winter, going through roundabouts....very interesting....by that I mean arse twitching! Lol!!!
You can't blame GM Special Vehicles (based at Milbrook, or at least they used to be) for getting cost out of vehicles. Fitting the standard SRi cloth seats and 17" alloys are more suited to the role these cars did for the Police. The seats are cheaper and longer lasting. The Recaro seat bases collapse and can no longer be sourced from Recaro. Thinking of the number of police officers carrying their heavy equipment and the seats would have worn even faster. I think even the BMWs have cloth seats for the same reason.
Still reading your book and it reads well, but I have to read it in small doses, as the journey you are on has the same travel agent as mine 😉 In these videos you seem to becoming more relaxed, its nice to see.
The Vectra vxr is now getting quite collectable they definitely need a good level of skill pushing on in the wet however uphill they are something to be reckoned with
Another great insight into the interceptor life. Mk2 escorts, Talbot avengers, mk4 escorts, mk 3 fiestas, the ubiquitous astra and the god awful Peugeot diesels were my relatives vehicles. I still think the political parties should unite and bring a law in that says the manufacturers of high performance stuff should supply a percentage to the police. Obvs not a mclaren etc, but the obvious high performance ford's, bms, vauxs and the vag stuff which you used to spend alot of the time chasing. Look forward to seeing the next one. Best wishes, be careful. Ben 🚍🚌🚓🚔🚓🇬🇧👍
![Twenty One Pilots - The Line (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XCz7WUotXs8/mqdefault.jpg)
"It couldn't pull t' skin off custard."
That's a fantastic phrase I've never heard before!
You do know sarcasm is the lowest form of wit
Sounds like my last STD test.
@@bettyswollocks7683 Still wit though!
Or off a rice pudding.
We have a different saying in Scotland but let's keep it clean 🤣
Never heard anyone speak so highly of a Vectra. 😂
Lol 😂
When you're a highly trained pursuit driver I guess you can get the most out of any car. And public roads are different to the track.
I had a 54 plate Vectra 3.2 GSi for a year. While it was not much to look at inside or out, it was comfortable for long periods, but importantly the suspension and overall handling was well fettled and it gripped like a limpet, and would actually do a real 160, without floating.
Cus they where cheap and easy to repair when there crashed .
Had one briefly, you can essentially straightshift from 1st to 2nd, then on into 3rd at 70mph with the wheels spinning the whole time, fighting the torquesteer. Utterly mad cars. Shite, but mad.
Nice to hear the vectra being praised. As a Vauxhall employee I had a few vectra 's on the lease scheme and was always happy to drive them. We also had the signum which was a slightly stretched vectra not astra. Great video and thanks for sharing.
I had the pleasure of starting Police Interceptors way back in 2005 as the Inspector in charge of the team. It was a petrol heads dream!. A blank sheet of paper to get whatever cars I wanted. We had a fantastic relationship with ProDrive and Mitsubushi, so had all the various evos and scoobys including the Limited GB270... now GB268 as we wrote them off!. We also had an Audi RS6 and Honda NSX to play with !!...but the public never knew that....A fantastic team of dedicated officers who were the best in the business at catching criminals. Essex too had a plain Vectra and a plain 3 series....looked like battered pieces of crap but went like stink!...who would have known interceptors would be so popular...and a little known fact about the name....we called them interceptors after the black car driven by Mad Max !!!!!
Well, if you want to be pedantic they were all interceptors but the black ones were "Pursuit Special"s
Could you not justify a '73 Ford Falcon?
An NSX? Please, tell us more !
@@frazerguest2864 When Police Interceptors became quite a thing in Essex, so there was more interaction with the car cruiser scene which had become massive. Car companies were throwing cars at us. Honda offered a bright red NSX. We were never going to say no to that!. It was striped up with magnetic removable graphics and a set of blue lights so we could use it operationally. The looks we got at traffic lights were ridiculous!. Two cops in a new NSX super car. It sounded fantastic. It was only bettered by the bright yellow Lambo Diablo!. .
@@paulmoor595 : Cheers Paul.
I’ve seen the pictures in the motoring press of marked-up Lotus Esprits, Lamborghinis etc, but I just assumed they were used for PR.
Was the NSX and it’s like ever used operationally ?
@@frazerguest2864 No it was used in a full operational capacity during its time. It was always deployed with other more standard cars. Unfortunately we only had that for a few months over a summer, but a great experience and fantastic sounding car at high revs!.
I served in the Met. I loved the Ford Fiestas, small car, wasn’t a response vehicle but those little cars were like a go cart, and around the back streets there was no beating them. In a straight line they bottomed out at a pretty low speed tbh. It was Mario Carts, and I whipped the $hit out of some of the more powerful vehicles purely because they were so small and narrow, and you could whip a 180 handbrake turn in fractions of a second. I’m glad my policing days are behind me, but they were such a blast too. I have regrets in life, but my time in the Met isn’t included.
Back in the 60s they used Mini Cooper S 1275s which would only do about 95, although v few cars back then handled as well or went above 90 apart from Jags and Lotus Cortinas
you sound exactly like the kind of dickhead that we have come to expect in the traffic police. grow up.
That’s so true about looking after your cars (or motorbikes) and they’ll look after you (to a point).
I think every fleet has a "Christine". 😃
You never fail to cheer me up, no matter how bad my day has been. Thankyou Ben 💛
Among the cars we had in the late 80s/early 90s in the Traffic Department in Tayside Police, were Vauxhall Senators, firstly the 12 valve and latterly the 24 valve ones. They were great cars, very quick and responsive and comfortable to drive. Least favourite one was a Sierra Cosworth, too low to the ground and you felt every little bump. Most noticeable change for me nowadays is the sheer volume of traffic on the road now, compared to then. I don’t know what the figures are, but I think people of my age will particularly notice it.
The Senators were beasts and I remember the fear they instilled in motorists when I was a kid. After the Omega no more Australian/American type cheap and cheerful police cars for us in the UK. Just pathetic lease deal special Panda cars or expensive luxo barges.
You can always spot someone who knows nothing about engines because their cars spotless 😊
I know what you mean about that engine, I have drive a few of the 2.8T Saab that uses the same engine as the VXR Vectra, has so much torque, actually only a single twin scroll turbo.
Love your videos, and feel very greatful for all the Police out there that put there life's on the line. I think I speak for everyone here, that we are all eternally greatful!
Ben.... I can't express how grateful I am that you are willing to share the stories and feeling that you have, the emotions and feelings you share, it's great to see someone opening up. I have always wanted to be a police officer but never taken the plunge and not really sure how to go about it. The human face you put on your "character " I hope changes the opinion of the Police to some people. Which makes them a bit more thoughtful when interacting with Officer's. We are all people. Anyway take care and keep up the content. If you're ever near Cardiff and we are allowed to meet people I'll be happy to get you a drink of your choice. Thank you Ben
When I started we had Ford escorts, truly a hateful car, rotating blue light and no siren (only traffic cars had sirens), last car i drove was a Volvo S60R response car, it was rapid machine and drank fuel like a rabid alcoholic. Definitely right about the V6 Vauxhall’s they were epic.
I had a Vectra VXR as an allocated car whilst at Heckmondwike, I agree with you Ben, a great traffic car. I also thought that the MK 1 Skoda Octavia VRS was a brilliant traffic car whilst I was at Toller Lane but they were a little bit fragile and were destroyed by all the speed bumps in the area.
As a trucker it is the same scenario as yours Ben as a new driver you always get the bag of spanners...makes you appreciate the better ones later on in your career.
It sometimes works in our favor though, the bag of spanners I was given was an Actros with close to 1 million miles on it obviously it crapped out within a matter of months and I ended up with a brand new rental truck. The rental truck I got given was a Volvo FH16 with almost all the options ticked that was a lovely couple of weeks.
@@armchairgeneralissimo Nice One
I remember the good ol VXR days, you are completely right it had a certain kudos about it with that beast of a V6. P.S always scrum for the keys.
Have a good weekend Ben and people!
Volvo V/XC70s were my favourite, absolutely the best seats for being sat in for extended periods, and I didn't find them particularly slow as a regular V, the XC was a little more sluggish. The only car I would have preferred over them would have been my personal Saab 95 HOT Aero which was even more comfortable, and felt much quicker. Although I didn't have quite the same weight in regularly as a duty vehicle.
1.7 turbo diesel Astra that had been to the moon and back, it was my car and I looked after it. It was then replaced with a new 306 d turbo that handled like a roller skate. I did my advanced but none of them cars brought a smile to my face like those two. Love the stories and I can relate to it all. Thanks for showing the human side of bobbying.
Good to hear your stories and see you smiling Ben 👍
My dad is a former traffic cop.
He also loved the 2.8 vectra.
Personally I never really saw the attraction of them but I'd love to have a go of one, see what the attraction is.
I'm a simple man I see a new video, I watch.
People like you really make me feel more comfortable with police keep up the great content!
You know what, how much of sound guy is Ben seriously! Id buy this guy a pint in a heart beat! Keep telling your stories mate🤙
👍🏻👊🏻
After watching Interceptors my 7 year old daughter loved meeting you Ben at the Supercar meet Baildon a couple of years ago, she was so impressed sitting in the 330D Touring sounding the siren and trying a hat on,what a good day that was. I'm not sure if any of the film crew footage was used that day though.
Really interesting,thanks for that
PSNI wagon in the thumbnail. Class
I remember going to R.T.C. when I was in the fire service and the traffic officer turning up in his BMW saying he'd felt the back end twitching in the wet just as you said.
Them vrx vectras was insane, like a big road sleeper blowing stones as you fly past
Another great video Ben. The V70 might be a slow car on the road but can't beat it for practicality!!!! Very useful for musicians who have huge musical instruments to lug about!!
Senator 24v was fast apparently. My grandad was in a shop and overheard a copper saying he had pulled 150mph in it hahah. 204bhp 3.0l brand new at the time
When he claimed people were looking at a shitty slabby sided Vectra and thinking “that’s a mean car” I was confident enough to disregard the rest of the video and bail out. Numpty. 😂
Come on the Mr expert! Give me more 😂😂😂 what should it have been? What’s mean?
From the outside looking in, the X5 looks like a right beast. Another brilliant video also :)
Ben all the best for the future, as a fellow vectra 2.8 v6 special driver i can concer they were awesome and thank God I didn't need to pay for the fuel.
*concur
You're mentioning cars from an era when I did traffic policing. Our Highway Patrol units in most of Australia were either the 6.0L V8 SS Commodore (Holden) or a V8 5.0L or turbo 6 Ford Falcon. I couldn't imagine driving something as small as a Vectra.
In my time in the Irish police you never got to choose your car - you were detailed for a specific car. In Limerick we only had two in our station - think it was tango 51 (T51) or T52. Usually (1980's) it was a 1.6L Cortina and later a Sierra or Montego with the odd Toyota Carina. They used to get new cars every year back then. We also had some dogs of cars - I recall tourists laughing at us (5 gardai) in a Renault 4 rushing to a row or the time I was chasing a car in a fucking Yaris - the biggest POS cars ever. The Vectra's were my favourite Garda cars too. I was so impressed with those I bought a new one as my own private car. We also had a plethora of smaller cars - corollas, Mazda 323's, a few Maestro's and Fiesta's. The traffic corps usually had the nicest cars. 2.0GL Cortinas and high spec vectra's while the plain cloths special task force had unmarked blue Ford Granada's which were as obvious as hell they were garda cars with all the aerials and the Dublin reg numbers. Probably the best garda car I had in my career was the 2012 Ford Focus estate we had. Glad I am not around now with all the Hyundies they are using - I know I would have hated those.
I remember in the early 80,s some detectives in Dublin had Renault 18 turbos, very rare though.
The tallaght garda had two red mondeos....the pursuits these were in were legendary..on and off road and rarely broke. I saw one racing through jobstown chasing a robbed clio....through the fields.
I had a Saab 93 V6, basically the Vectra VXR but in a party frock. Can definitely confirm, they drive so much better than you’d think.
Those vectra VXR's sound fantastic. I had an astra vxr and my friend had the vectra vxr. Great fun
I have a friend who has an ex police Volvo S80 T6 now that's an absolute blast.
Never thought you would say that,but having worked for Vauxhall I’d 100% agree it’s a good car!
I had an ex traffic car,was an E39 3.0 turbo diesel manual and it was a beast
The Vectra!!! Big yes, we had a proper 'stealth bomber' that everyone fought over. 2.8 twin turbo auto estate. It was the dogs doo dahs. No, I'm not or ever could have been a traffic officer. We used to supply training cars to Northumbria up at Ponteland. Happy days indeed. I've had all kinds over the years, Porsche, Ferrari, Merc, BMW and Mustang but I still need a Vectra twin turbo for the collection.
Thank you for the recollection
Had three vectras and a signum, absolutely loved them.
53 Vectra, Edition 100, 2.0T
04 Vectra, Edition 100, 2.0T (Remapped)
56 Vectra 1.9 CDTi (150)
07 Signum 1.9 CDTi (120)
This was before they were the Chinese crap they are today, but honestly some of the best, comfiest cars I’ve ever had. There was a “trust” that they gave. odd really, but do miss them.
Came upon this 39 seconds after uploading, with 1 other view ! Really enjoy your candid and very interesting uploads. This one no different so far , a car called Christine 😂 Best wishes in all you do. Thanks for ... being you!
Extremely surprised at the Vectra love here, sure they had a great engine but they did not handle particularly well and the brakes were completely inadequate for a car of that performance, borderline dangerous.
I know the police versions had the 345mm front brakes. Apart from that, I'm pretty sure they were standard VXRs. Also find it strange he gives it so much love. Maybe not a lot else to compare it to or it was just one of those 1 in a 100,000 cars that "feels right" some how.
@@larry365 A family friend once let me drive his, it was very quick but it was also the most numb and lacking in feel/feedback performance car I think I've ever driven..... but maybe in a way that is also what makes it a good relaxing, non fatiguing traffic car for extended driving periods?
Honestly the Vectras are under rated, really are good cars, I think most of the hate comes from Jeremy Clarkson
I have to agree. Despite having a fleet of Subarus, Evos and 3 series BMW...my boys absolutely loved the plain dark grey Vectra!.
I remember the vextra vxr on top gear, it couldn't make it round a corner without understeering into the weeds.
They pulled the fuses for stability control, it’s not supposed to be fully deactivated by design but Top Gear defeated it completely - they didn’t state that though, shitty car journalism.
i had a great one last week - driving down the M6 north of Preston. 2x Police Traffic cars parked at the side.
As i go passed - A bentley bentayga went past me doing minimum 120mph.
The officers are so busy talking that they completely missed it. The Bentley never slowed down at all haha. Lucky boy that day
*past
Bought an ex police xdrive 30d about 18 months ago….minus the little bumps and knicks inside it’s an absolute machine, I can see why you lads used them 🥵🥵 👍👍👍
What mileage?
Please everyone watching, buy Ben's absolutely amazing book. I've just finished it and it's truly a work of art. Incredibly gripping but also the most honest account possible. For the price it's an absolute must read.
What's it called?
The Vectra B 2.5 was my christine I absolutely loved that car it looked like something out of robocop and sounded like thunder, everything just moved out of your way when you were behind them whether you were on a call or not
Awesome car.
There was a few years where I piloted an ex-Thames Valley Omega V6, that was a fun car. You could feel the size and weight of it (even after it was all stipped out) but if you got it to hook up in the corners and once you got that weight transfer you could just burry the throttle, catch the slide if you had to, and just keep it pinned. It was very predictable even when the back end was sliding about. I found the BMWs almost felt too light, like there wasn't enough feedback, very easy to drive, but almost too easy like there wasn't enough connection to the road and the mechanical feeling of the car.
I have an ex police omega v6 and still to this day she can show a lot of cars who's boss.
@@V8VORLICH I can believe that, they perform best between 80-150mph, Mine will still sit at 160mph quite happily.
Loving your videos Ben and i wish there were more Police like you, down to earth and genuine is a rare quality these days, great Stories.
"Couldn't pull skin off custard" - having that! 😀
As a Vectra fan boy 👋... to hear that the VXR was your favourite, was great!
Shame he called it a Twin Turbo though.
I've got a mk3 astra van, it's a 3.2 v6 conversion out the vectra c, I think you might approve listening to this.... he's called brutus x
Vxr veccy were spot on, I was Impressed with the torque more than anything' after that I moved on to a Golf r32' a m3 and now my most sensible a A class Amg line oh and my overlander D2 landy.
Must be gutting for you not in the pursuit game anymore. I always used to think that Traffic Bobby's had the best Job in the world' that is without the visuals they had to see.
Best wishes and thanks for that interview.
First job car was an Austin Metro! At that time the keys for the new Austin Maestros were snapped up pretty quickly.
Ive watched a lot of your programs on tv over the years and as much as I enjoyed some of the series I didn`t like them all and was amazed sometimes when officers would chase after a car, eventually stop the car with a TPAC and while an officer was pulling the driver out the drivers door other officers would be smashing the rear windscreen with batons and shouting " GET OUT THE CAR " did make laugh.
Ben you are such a nice guy and that's coming from a fellow yorkshireman.
The force is lost without you so genuine and funny
i love how down to earth and honest this guy is...... love a chase in my 4.4 litre v8 bimmer tho lol
Bimmer?
You always cheer me up. Just read your book. You have been through so much but great to see you laughing. Thank you Ben.
Wow…. I even pre-empted the rotating beacon noise as well before you done it 🤣, that brought back some memories and yes it was a Jam Sandwich as well🙌🏼.
Hooray Ben!
This reminded of when my husband got stopped for speeding in my Mums Lada ! The policeman's words were are we in a rush sir ? Well yes Woolworths have just got some Tracey islands in , wonder how many times all that was retold:) keep them coming best thing about fridays .
Tracy Islands.😂😂😂
Rumour is Michael Winslow took inspiration from Ben for his Police Academy performances
Ha ha ha
It was mk2 Escorts with the pale blue and white paint job that I remember as a young lad. Supposedly, some police cars were delivered in the blue and some in white so to make them stand out, they swapped doors and bonnets etc and came up with the mixed colour schemes. Traffic units didn’t really exist back then but my first recollection of a traffic car was the Rover SD1 which we also called jam sandwiches - our local ambulance service used the same Buick derived V8 3.5 engine in its Range Rovers and they sounded great! TVR bored them out to five litres and got 340 BHP from them in their sports cars. Can’t remember what came after those but I do recall Vauxhall Senators not long after that. I remember seeing Essex police using Escort Cossies (very apt!) then it spiralled into Subarus and Evos and the true interceptor cars.
There is no way he was old bill…..Carl Pilkington and the keystone cops comes to mind when he speaks 😂
The Vauxhall Vectra 2.8v6 turbo was never twin turbo, it's a twin scroll turbo! One turbo and two inlets to the turbine wheel from two banks of the engine, this allows a fast spool up time.
His accent makes him difficult to understand. But his enthusiasm shines through.
An officer friend of mine also liked the 2.8 turbo Vauxhall (Opel where I live) and regularly hit 140 mph on the motorway in pursuits.
“It couldn’t pull the skin off custard” lol love it
Here in the US the best police car I ever drove was a 1994 Chevy Caprice classic with an LT1 350 corvette engine. True 160MPH police car. Terrible handling though. Under hard braking the rear end wanted to pass you. But the lights were halogen rotators. The faster you drove the faster the lights flashed. They made a figure 8 pattern and we're quite hypnotic at night. Best new patrol car is the Ford Police Utility twin turbo. Much more comfortable but not as fast. Better handling though even as and SUV lol.
I was a special constable with gmp in 2009 and worked with traffic now and then, I absolutely loved them Vectras. I remember doing 155 mph for about 3 miles on the motorway and it used 1/4 tank of fuel 😂
Only 155mph?? The driver wasnt giving it the full beans then. I know what you mean about the fuel economy, but thats why I LPG conververted mine, much more easier on the wallet.
Never thought I’d hear someone praise a Vectra and say a Volvo T5 is slow in the same breath 😂
We had the Jags 3.0 XF & Audi A4s 3.0 quattros aswell as the BMW 330d & 530d on CMPG... BBC Motorway Cops.
Done my advanced course in 2005 in a 3.2V6 Omega & the ST220 Mondeo. 2 part final drive assessment. Front wheel drive for an hour then Rear Wheel drive for an hour.
15 years on traffic am now advanced police driver trainer....no more night shifts ! 👍
What are the best? I assume BMW?
There was a Harrier called Christine at Joint Force Harrier, RAF Cottesmore, can’t remember the tail number, but once it shut its front wheel bay doors on the head of some poor engineer who was up inside the bay maintaining it. It did other things besides trying to eat people, but that was its worst trick.
I had the vectra VXR it was absolutely amazing the police ones were known as the special a VXR in an SRI body pretty much
The only one?
Anybody that has worked within a company that has a 'fleet' knows what Ben means about the jalopy 😆 Absolutely spot on description mate 👍 If you are a 'driver' you know your vehicles, you know which one(s) feel(s) right, and you KNOW which ones to try and avoid like the plague! I have been into work an hour earlier before, just to get the better vehicle! Another fantastic video Ben. Nice to see you pushing forward with this 👌👊💙
That's so true, your life is in the cars hands, some try to kill you and some are unchangeable so you can corner hard in the wet at 160mph and get a slide or aquaplane but not be worried it will bite you. I would stroke the good cars and love them. BMW are fast in a line but they take off easily and land heavily, end up looking like a grinder underneath.
JOY.... one minute in and I'm grining like an idiot, BECAUSE IT'S TRUE. Thank you Mr Pearson, oh yes the good 'O' days of the NEE NOR.
I remember an unmarked grey Vectra estate 54/56 plate( I forget which) West Yorkshire Police had, always kept an eye out for that... Also before that once saw a gold rover 800 coupe(unmark) I sniggered when I saw that.
My dad had a signum. I love that car the seats are so comfy.
🤦🏻♂️
Yay it’s Friday, cheers Ben, once got stopped on the M606 in my Cavalier Sri, fastest car I ever had. It was the days before yellow boxes at the side of the road (never had a ticket from one of them) I got pulled at just short of a ton on a quiet day, light traffic and took my ticket on the nose. Oh it was a vectra I believe v6?
Omega
Would’ve either been a 2.5/2.6 v6 veccy or omega
The vectra is a V6
2.8
@@Simbacu The police used plenty of 6 cylinder Vauxhall’s over time with the main Cult being the senator 24v using the bullet proof C30se engine, also using cav v6’s c25xe, latter the vectra b 2.5/2.6 v6’s and omegas x25/26se engines and so on, was only the vectra c that had the 2.8T z28net and 3.2 y32se and at that time he was pulled over it would’ve been a 2.5/2.6 vectra B
Great to see your latest tale! Sinergy between man and Christine! Bless you, 💕
Fascinating insight into the traffic cops life..... Christine makes me smile 👍
Have got a 2007 white ex police T5 , it’s the dogs knackers I must say. had a Saab 95 aero hot years ago, almost put it in a field on the first corner I went around , torque steer was awful aswell
Brilliant Ben absolutely brilliant. I love traffic cars within the police. I think my favourite is the BMW X5. Ik most of the X5s are ARVs but some are used as Traffic cars. Brilliant machines. Fantastic vid Ben absolutely loving your stories of your experiences serving in the police 🇬🇧💪👍
The T5 is the one that gave me the chills when followed
The traffic copper I knew said they were great on straights and shit around roundabouts
@@modelrailwaynoob Also they have an horrendous turning circle.
Had a T5R years ago. Ballistic on the straights. But the turbo lag was horrible. I don’t get how he could say they were slow. The autos only had 4 gears. I don’t know many cars that would do 120 in 3rd.Would eat Porsches. But on the corners, Jesus, a corsa would pull away.
@@Kingjoffa hahahaaaa my omega is a 4 speed
@@StuartOliver83 I had a senator 2.6i in white. Think that had 4 gears as well. Never tried an Omega but good for cruising at high speeds I bet.
Funny , my Signum 2.8 twin turbo was my best Vauxhall’s and I had a few .. loads of room and 300 bhp with a chip. I’ve had many AMGs since and I still rate that Vauxhall’s engine very highly ..
I love Bens descriptions, “couldn’t pull the skin off custard”, classic😂.
Hope Ben's getting better, keep telling your stories mate and having a laugh you will get through things wish him well.
There is always one officer at a station that will come in 20 minutes early to get the best car😂
Could you go into more detail about reliability of cars? It’s insane the mileage they clock up and I genuinely wonder if these BMW’s are getting new engines 🤣
bmw diesels will outlast you...
@@MrCukydoh *N47 and N57 have entered the chat*
@@applejuice5272 N57's are perfect. The N47's however.
A Ford Capri 2.8 Injection....used in my force area (Greater Manchester Police) back in the day or a Rover 3500 SD1, largely used by the Metropolitan Police in London but West Yorkshire Police also had them (I believe) - you’d get motorists willing to enforce the rules of the road no problem! 😉
You need nowadays faster cars to keep up with all the fast fleeing cars. You see sometimes they going into the field, and the police cars can not always follow them, witch car is the best to chassing in the field? Good story again Ben and Josh, thanks, have a great weekend. looking forward to another video of you when you looking at old episodes, with your own comments.
Wow.A 2.8 twin turbo vectra.I drove a 2.5 v6 many years ago and that went like stink???
I drove a 2.5 V6 Vectra in 1998 and it struck me as under powered.
Rolling!!! Have probably driven all the same cars more or less. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. It’s great to see all forces have the same ‘issues’.
My memories are built around the sunny streets of London mostly with a sprinkling of Gwent.
Talking of fun....pursuit in an X5, middle of winter, going through roundabouts....very interesting....by that I mean arse twitching! Lol!!!
High praise indeed for a Vectra. They get supplied in weird specification though e.g. cloth seats that were never provided to the public.
You can't blame GM Special Vehicles (based at Milbrook, or at least they used to be) for getting cost out of vehicles. Fitting the standard SRi cloth seats and 17" alloys are more suited to the role these cars did for the Police. The seats are cheaper and longer lasting. The Recaro seat bases collapse and can no longer be sourced from Recaro. Thinking of the number of police officers carrying their heavy equipment and the seats would have worn even faster. I think even the BMWs have cloth seats for the same reason.
Still reading your book and it reads well, but I have to read it in small doses, as the journey you are on has the same travel agent as mine 😉 In these videos you seem to becoming more relaxed, its nice to see.
The Vectra vxr is now getting quite collectable they definitely need a good level of skill pushing on in the wet however uphill they are something to be reckoned with
I always say that my Vectra doesnt know what a hill is, it just pulls up them very strongly.
Another great insight into the interceptor life. Mk2 escorts, Talbot avengers, mk4 escorts, mk 3 fiestas, the ubiquitous astra and the god awful Peugeot diesels were my relatives vehicles. I still think the political parties should unite and bring a law in that says the manufacturers of high performance stuff should supply a percentage to the police. Obvs not a mclaren etc, but the obvious high performance ford's, bms, vauxs and the vag stuff which you used to spend alot of the time chasing. Look forward to seeing the next one. Best wishes, be careful. Ben 🚍🚌🚓🚔🚓🇬🇧👍
Hi Ben, I received you book the other and just started reading it looking forward to reading the rest xx