[Scott]

"They" aren't built yet. And may never be. The one shown is the only one in existance. The owners designed and built the car hoping that a larger company would purchase the rights to it and they, Carbon Motors, would get big fat royalties from it. Well... No one has bit. Not in this economy. The first and main issue is that the purchasing agency would have to use equipment that it comes with. Take two-way radios for instance. Many agencies have spent millions of dollars over the past few years to purchase new radio systems for reasons of interoperablility. If they bought these cars, those radios would have to be thrown in the trash because this car doesn't use them. Same with the on-board computers used to run plates, licence checks, etc. You gotta use the one in the car or you're out. It also has a voice activation system that does not work. At all. Warning lights and sirens from a manufacturer that is about to go under because of patent infringment. It was a neat concept when it was developed, but even if the economy was great, what department would throw money away like that for something that does little more than your run of the mill Crown Victoria.

Last fall at the International Police Chiefs Conference in San Diego, they had a huge unveiling of the car. They had a big clock that would count down the time before they lifted the cover off. Well... the clock got down to zero and they reset it because no one had gathered around yet. Then they did that again. And again. Finally when they had 15 people watching they unveiled it. They also hired their own camera crews to set up around it to give the appearance that it was some huge ordeal. Then come to find out.. they did all this to attract investors or buyers for the company to fund the program. People there (myself included) saw right through it. It was quite a flop.