Vehicle Description
Ahrens-Fox has long since been considered the Rolls-Royce of fire
trucks. The origin of Ahrens-Fox traces back to 1852, the
beginnings of the steam fire engine era, when Alexander B. Latta
constructed a steam-powered fire engine in Cincinnati. This was
early in the era of the steam-powered fire engine, and the
development was followed closely by a young apprentice in the works
named Chris Ahrens. Ahrens later assumed ownership of Latta's
company and in 1903 merged with American LaFrance. Ahrens-Fox was
started in 1910 following Ahrens' sons and two of his son-in-law's
(one of whom is Charles Fox) departure from American LaFrance.
Initially Ahrens-Fox manufactured a few horse-drawn and
steam-driven fire engines, but they soon switched to an apparatus
powered by Walter Christie's pioneering 2-wheel tractors, then
concentrated on 2-wheel gasoline engine-driven units. One of the
most identifiable features of an Ahrens-Fox is not only the unique
grille of the engine but also the massive upright pump with all its
polished fittings. These features are what helped to secure the
Ahrens-Fox fire engine's place in history as having one of the most
remarkable faces in the world of motor vehicles. This particular
Ahrens-Fox was originally commissioned in 1928 for the City of New
Orleans Fire Department. It was later sold to a fire museum in
Louisiana, at which time it was totally restored. This truck is
powered by a T-head 998ci 6-cylinder GEO engine with dual ignition
and a 3-speed manual transmission. This unit is also equipped with
a 900 gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump.
