A man threw a spanner at a Northern Territory police officer then rammed a remote outback police station before escaping down a desolate highway without working headlights, a numberplate or front bumper bar, police say.

The man, 42, deliberately drove through the front doors of the Harts Range police station, about 120 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs, about 10:00pm on Friday night, according to Duty Superintendent Brendan Muldoon.

"The station, which was vacant at the time, has sustained damage to the front glass doors and rear roller doors," he said.

Moments before the incident officers had noticed the man was "agitated and driving in a reckless manner".

"The man has allegedly thrown a wheel spanner at the night patrol vehicle and driven the car at speed towards the police station," Duty Superintendent Muldoon said.

The driver then allegedly reversed out of the police station and drove away in the direction of the Plenty Highway, a 498km stretch of mostly unsealed road traversing some of the most remote and arid land in the continent.

"Police do not think he would have travelled far as damage left behind suggests he would have no working headlights, no front numberplate or a front bumper bar," he said.

"The car may still have the rear numberplate attached which is SA registered S145 AVI."