Officers had spotted the car, a black BMW sedan registration KRH 304, speeding at 112kmph on Malaghan's Road near Arrowtown, shortly after 6pm.
By the time the patrol car had turned around, it had sped off.
"A short time late it popped out of a vacant section on Littles Road,'' Sergeant Steve Watt, of Queenstown Police, said.
Littles Rd is in the Dalefield area. It 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 in the end.
Queenstown Police are keen for any information about the car or its driver. Enquiries are continuing.
