The traditional chrome police bell tucked behind the grille of the Volvo 121 Amazon sounds like something from an old black and white ‘cop caper’. Back in the sixties, its insistent jingle would’ve sent a shiver down the spine of speeding motorists in Hampshire – but it was ringing the changes for a bold new era of policing on Britain’s roads. Until the first of Hampshire Constabulary’s new Volvo Amazons hit the road – 50 years ago, in 1965 – UK police forces had always run British-manufactured cars. It was an age when the motorway network was in its infancy, and forces around the country were patrolling at the wheel of everything from Austins to Wolseleys – with Daimlers, Jaguars, MGs, Rileys and Rovers among others in between. 10 With so many homegrown marques to choose from, Hampshire Constabulary displayed a maverick streak when replacing its ageing and ponderous Austins Westminsters and Riley 6/110s. Partly motivated by frustration at its British cars’ poor reliability, for six months it evaluated a Citroen DS and the Volvo against the British Humber Super Snipe estate. The Amazon proved the fastest, most agile and most reliable choice, so the force ordered four in 1965.

• Find out where Volvo ranked in our 2015 Driver Power Survey These Volvos are believed to have been Britain’s first-ever ‘foreign’ traffic police cars, their deployment being all the more obvious as they were also among the very first UK police cars to be painted white instead of traditional black. The Amazons’ high-profile arrival was duly accompanied by a storm of nationalistic outrage, and the shocking matter of foreign cop cars on British roads was even raised in Parliament. But the vehicles proved their worth, and police Volvos have been on duty for half a century since. 10 The car pictured above – registration number FOR 298D – was the second Amazon to enter service. It’s back in the possession of the Hampshire force after officer Steve Woodward discovered it rotting in a Welsh barn. Following restoration, it now appears at police functions and family days, and is the earliest-surviving foreign police car in the UK. John Bradley ran Hampshire’s police fleet for 20 years, and worked for the force for 45 years until retirement in 2006 – a notable career that was rewarded with an MBE from the Queen. He remembers the Amazons well, having driven them ‘in period’ at the start of his service.

“The officers loved them,” he says. “The cars they’d had before were all older tech, and this was something that looked and felt completely different. The Volvo had a great gearbox, lots of power and torque, and officers would always try to grab the keys before anyone else.” 10 Even today, a quick spin behind the wheel reveals those aren’t the Amazon’s only qualities. After an estimated 550,000 miles, the well worn seats are still comfortable, while the large-rimmed wheel and tight turning circle make the car feel agile and easy to manoeuvre even without power-steering. Performance is lively, too, as shortly after the cars entered service tuning firm Ruddspeed provided twin-carb upgrade kits that boosted the four-cylinder engine’s power to 118bhp. This was considered essential, due to the weight of police kit the Amazons were being asked to carry. “Driver feedback was excellent,” says John, who oversaw the force’s purchase of subsequent generations of Volvo police cars. “Build quality was superb compared with British models of the time, they were known for safety and handling, and the reliability was really good.” 10 Hampshire Constabulary went on to use 144 and then 244 saloons (the iconic Volvo ‘brick’) as Area Cars, right up to the early nineties – although for high-speed motorway work the force was running Jaguar XJ6 saloons in the eighties, followed by a short spell with the BMW 5 Series.