Back in the day—1914, in this case—American LaFrance ruled the roost as the primary source of fire engines for U.S. cities. With wooden buildings the rule, fires were a constant plague, and the American LaFrance company (formed in 1903, with a plant in Elmira, N.Y.) made thousands of basic but sturdy apparatus through the Brass Era.
This truck, now offered on eBay with a $79,500 Buy-It-Now price, is from 1914, and for many years served a fire company in Eau Claire, Wis. But it’s been converted to something rather different: a speedster.
The speedster sits four in leather armchairs.
Stripping down vehicles to make them go faster is, of course, the basic formula for hot rods, and this truck represents rodding’s roots. The truck body is gone, so it’s a chassis with seats and an engine—a massive six-cylinder with something like a 14-liter displacement.
It’s a massive six, with cylinders like coffee cans.
According to vendor Shawn Miller, president of Significant Cars - opens in new window or tab., the speedster was built several years ago, using many period parts, including the brass headlights and the leather seats. “Most speedsters sit on shortened chassis with just two seats, but this is an unmodified frame, and it seats four,” Miller said. “It has a dual-chain drive, and a higher speed set of sprockets was added to make it go faster.”
Chitty Chitty Vroom Vroom
How fast is that? “It will go faster than you’ll want to go in it,” Miller said. Remember, the stopping power is from the original two-wheel brakes. Miller describes the LaFrance as “a real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang vehicle.” His reference is not to the 1968 movie, but to the early special that inspired Ian Fleming’s children’s book. It didn’t fly but was a pre-war racer with an aircraft engine.
The higher-speed sprockets for the chain drive will both be fitted before the sale.
The speedster is original from the front seat forward. Although it’s titled as a 1916 model, the design of the hood, dashboard, and footwell suggest a build date prior to 1915. The builder added the period brass lighting, and a high-capacity copper fuel tank. “The vehicle runs and drives beautifully,” Miller said.
You might think that American LaFrance died out during the Depression, as so many other marques did, but that’s not the case. Instead, it lasted right up into our era. The company was bought by Daimler subsidiary Freightliner LLC in 1995, and the brand continued, with plants in Pennsylvania, Florida, and New York. It was the fifth-largest manufacturer of emergency vehicles as late as 2005.
The steering wheel is correct for LaFrance fire engines.
In 2007, with new owners, the company moved to Charleston, S.C., but soon after filed for bankruptcy. A re-organization failed, and the company finally announced it would close for good in 2014. “This time it isn’t coming back,” wrote the Post and Courier - opens in new window or tab., lamenting the end of a more than 180-year history.
eBay Motors does a thriving business in American LaFrance vehicles and accessories - opens in new window or tab., spanning much of the company’s history.
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