What's special about that car #1 - Solved! Los Gatos police car

[Ray B.]

A new kind of puzzle to keep you busy for the weekend.

There are two different things that are special about that car. Why?
Naming the car and those two things is required, but won't get you any point as it's too easy. But finding why will get you 2 points.

If you're new around here, remember that you have to register before you can post your answer.

[DynaMike]

It looks like a Fiat 1100, but it will rather be a Mumbai built Premier Padmini...

[Ray B.]

I don't know which one of the two this is, and my source gives no informations about it. It can be both. But I guess your reply shows that you found one of the special features of this car.

[neilshouse]

The most obvious special features are the lights and siren on the roof, I think these are used by the Indian government on their official cars which are exempt from the normal motoring rules.

[ImpishGrin]

Do you mean that it's rhd and fitted with siren/flashing lights? An Indian police car?

[Ray B.]

It's right hand drive, a police car, but not Indian.

[Ray B.]

I am not sure that my answers were clear enough:

What is special about this car is NOT that it is Indian -since it's not- or that it has a siren and flashing lights. It matters, as I said, that it's a RHD police car, but this is only a clue to the answer, as the question is WHY.

[Otto Puzzell]

RHD police car - parking law enforcement?

[Ray B.]

Eh! That's good, and basically what it is. One point is already yours. For the second, you have to point the other obvious special thing about that car.
Also, naming the country where this car operates would explain why the fact that it's RHD makes it special.

[Anton]

I thought the door atached to the B pillar was special, but I am not a Fiat buff.

[Ray B.]

You're right. No normal door would open that wide, 180 degrees.
Now, in order to earn that second point, you to - let's say tell us, more precisely than Otto did, the purpose of that very wide-opening door. And, as I asked, the country where this car operates. This is locked for you the next 48 hours.

[Otto Puzzell]

Wild guess: the doors, when folded back, afforded greater protection against bullets, for an occupant of the rear seat?

[Ray B.]

Wild guess: the doors, when folded back, afforded greater protection against bullets, for an occupant of the rear seat?

Too wild a guess!
No, you were correct, as I said, when you spoke of parking law enforcement, and that explains the door too. And although guns may be of common use now where this car was on duty, I don't think it was customary then to take a shot at cops for a parking ticket.

[Allemano]

Wild guess: the doors, when folded back, afforded greater protection against bullets, for an occupant of the rear seat?

so they have to drive with open doors all the time... and it really woudn't help if the assassin shoots from a different angle. 

[Ray B.]

Assassins excluded, there is some truth in this reply.

[Allemano]

The true part is that it's usually driven with open doors? 

[Ray B.]

Correct.

[Allemano]

to get quickly out of the car?

[ImpishGrin]

To give candies to children?

[Allemano]

or for the shoe-blacker? 

[faksta]

Judging by the driver's position - to push the car forwards with his right foot.

[Ray B.]

In case you're not pulling our leg: no.

[Otto Puzzell]

Wild guess: the doors, when folded back, afforded greater protection against bullets, for an occupant of the rear seat?

Too wild a guess!
No, you were correct, as I said, when you spoke of parking law enforcement, and that explains the door too. And although guns may be of common use now where this car was on duty, I don't think it was customary then to take a shot at cops for a parking ticket.

Did the cops take pictures of the cars they ticketed?

[faksta]

Or to apply tickets to trucks, which are higher?

[Ray B.]

I may have misled you by approving Otto's "parking law enforcement": The "enforcement" part isn't that important here. But that doesn't change much and I am amazed that no one finds the simple explanation to this car's special features.
Let's sum up what we know:

-This is a police car.
- It's right hand drive and being used in a country where one drives on the ..... side of the road
- The cop's job has to do with parking rules.
- Picture yourself as this cop, doing this job, driving this car. Now why the heck do you need to have your door so fully opened that it's pushed back along the rear quarter of the car?