VOLVO claims its S80 rapid response ambulance is capable of changing the face of front-line ambulance use.

Built in conjunction with specialist builder Wiman, the S80 ambulance has the handling characteristics of a car, meaning it can get to incidents faster and more safely than usual ambulances, says Volvo.

The S80 costs between £53,000 and £65,000, and is available with a choice of 170bhp or 200bhp engines, manual or automatic gearboxes, and can be fitted with four wheel drive.

Nick Vannozzi, Volvo's ambulance sales manager, said: 'With NHS ambulance trusts all being judged on incident response times, car-based ambulances such as the S80 can offer a real alternative to the standard ambulance.'