Officers had spotted the car, a black BMW sedan registration KRH 304, speeding at 112kmh on Malaghans Rd near Arrowtown, shortly after 6pm.
By the time the patrol car had turned around, it had sped off.
''A short time later it popped out of a vacant section on Littles Rd,'' Sergeant Steve Watt, of Queenstown police, said.
Littles Rd is in Dalefield.
The car sped off towards town and officers gave chase.
''However, due to the speed and erratic nature of the driving, it evaded police and was unable to be located.''
A scrub fire had been started on the vacant section, possibly due to the heat of the exhaust.
Firefighters tackled the blaze and brought it under control.
At one point they called for helicopter assistance, but it was not needed.
Queenstown police are keen to receive any information about the car or its driver.
