American LaFrance

US, 1907 – 2014

LaFrance Manufacturing Company

American LaFrance (ALF) was an American vehicle manufacturer which focused primarily on the production of fire engines, fire aerials, and emergency apparatus such as ambulance and rescue vehicles. The company was located in Summerville, South Carolina. It was announced Friday, January 17, 2014, they would cease operations.
The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company was one of the oldest fire apparatus manufacturers in the United States. With roots that go back to approximately 1832, the companies that went on to become American LaFrance built hand-drawn, horse-drawn, and steam-powered fire engines. Founded in 1873 by Truxton Slocum LaFrance and his partners, including Alexander S. Diven as the LaFrance Manufacturing Company selling hand powered equipment. The International Fire Engine Company, corporate predecessor of American LaFrance, built some steam power fire engines between 1903 and 1907. Apparatus built by International included horse drawn steamers, hose wagons, and hook & ladders to chemical engines, water towers and combinations. The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company was formed in 1903. Its corporate offices and manufacturing plant were in Elmira, New York. It also operated a Canadian plant in Toronto, Ontario, where it sold apparatus under the name Lafrance-Foamite, until 1971. American LaFrance (ALF) delivered its first motorized fire engine in 1907. Over the years, American LaFrance built thousands of fire trucks including chemical engines, combination pumpers, aerial ladder trucks, Aero Chief snorkel trucks, and airport crash trucks. The classical style of the American LaFrance apparatus is easily recognized. Some of the company's innovations led to changes in the industry, most notably the cab forward style cab.
In 1995, the company was bought by Freightliner LLC, which is a subsidiary of Daimler AG. Freightliner continued to utilize American LaFrance's original nameplates and designations including the Eagle custom chassis

Historic vehicles

• Type 1 1903-1904 Steam-powered Combination Hose & ChemicaL Wagon
• Type 3 1906-1906 Packard "N" Two-Tank ChemicaL Car - only 1 built
• Type 4 1909-1912 Simplex based chassis - 2 built (see also Technisches Museum Sinsheim site )
• Type 5 1910-1911 First complete ALF motor fire apparatus - 4 cyl.
• Type 6 1910-1914 LaFrance Commercial truck
• Type 8 1908-1910 ALF roadster type passenger car
• Type 10 1911-1920 Improved larger version of Type 5
• Type 12 1911-1925 6 cyl. 800, 900 & 1000 GPM pumper (see also in Riga Motor Museum)
• Type 14 1912-1926 City service ladder truck
• Type 15 1913-1925 1400 GPM Pump and hose car
• Type 16 1912-1916 Front drive aerial ladder truck
• Type 17 1913-1926 Tractor drawn - aerial, water tower, ladder
• Type 18 1913-1913 2-wheel front-drive steam fire engine tractor
• Type 19 1915-1928 1000 GPM Pump and hose car, 6 cyl.
• Type 25 1914-1914 Front drive, straight frame aerial ladder
• Type 28 1915-1915 Front drive service ladder truck
• Type 30 1914-1914 Front drive, bevel-gear drive water tower
• Type 31 1915-1929 2-wheel front-drive tractor
• Type 32 1915-1927 LaFrance/Model "T" Ford, Alf "F" series
• Type 33 1917-1926 Front drive straight frame service ladder truck
• Type 34 1916-1916 Centrifugal pumper
• Type 52 1922-1927 "Village Queen" Model "T" Ford trailer pump
• Type 65 19??-19?? 400 GPM Junior pumper
• Type 75 1915-1927 750 GPM 6 cyl Pumper - large number built
• Type 91 1927-1927 500 GPM Pumper - Buda-6 cycl. engine
• Type 92 1927-1927 600 GPM Pumper - Buda-6 cycl. engine
• Type 94 19??-19?? Service ladder truck, Buda-6 cycl.
• Type 96 19??-19?? Same as Type 94 but configured as a Quad
• Type 99 1927-1932 GMC Cosmopolitan, Buick 6-cyl. - see 100 series
• Type 500 1941-1946 Narrow cab and body design
• Type 600 1941-1946 Narrow cab and body design
• 100 Series 1926-1929 Metropolitan
• 200 Series 1929-1931 Master
• 300 Series 1931-1935 V-12 powered, 312A
• 400 Series 1933-1938 Junior 450/600/475 GPM
• 400 Series 1935-1940 Senior1000/1250/1500 pump-in-cowl design
• 500 Series 1938-1941 New enclosed streamlined design
• 600 Series 1941-1946 Improved 500 Series
• JO/JOX Series 1938-1946 mid-mount aerial ladder - Cab-ahead
• 700 Series 1947-1959 Cab-ahead-of-engine design
• 800 Series 1956-1958 Updated 700 Series (Pumpers only)
• 900 Series 1958-1974 New wide-cab design
• Pioneer I, II & III 1964-1978 Also Sparton I TCM flat-panel cab
• Pacemaker 1973-1976 TCM canopy cab-forward
• 1000 Series 1970-1974 Premium version of 900 Series
• Century Series 1974-1985 New wider cab
• Century 2000 1986-1994 Redesign by Kersey/ALF
• Patriot 1992-1994
• ALF Eagle 1996–2014 All-new custom chassis
• ALF Metropolitan 1999–2014 Entry-level custom chassis
• Freightliner Business Class, M2 2002–2014 Commercial chassis

Source: Wikipedia

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Simplex

NL, 1899 – 1914

NV Maatschappij Simplex, Amsterdam

The first Simplex car was a belt-driven vis-à-vis made on Benz-lines, but by 1902 a new model Simplex car was introduced with a vertical single-cylinder Fafnir engine mounted at the front, wheel steering and single chain drive. Shaft drive came in soon on the Simplex car afterwards, and 1907 an 8hp 2-cylinder and 14/16hp 4-cylinder Simplex car were made. The largest model Simplex car was the 35hp 4-cylinder model of 1911, still with Fafnir engine. A considerable number of the smaller Simplex cars were sent, partly knocked down, to the Nederlands East Indies, and assembled there. Production of Simplex cars ceased with World War 1, and although a prototype 3-wheeler Simplex car with 10hp V-twin engine was shown in 1919, this Simplex car never went into production.

US, 1907 – 1917

Simplex Automobile Co Inc, New Brunswick, N.J.

After the 1907 bankruptcy of Smith & Mabley, the firm was taken over by Herman Broesel, who formed the Simplex Automobile Company. The best-known model of the new Simplex car company was the 50hp Simplex car, a massive chain-driven car of high quality whose 4-cylinder T-head engine had a capacity of 10 litres. The chassis price of the Simplex car was $4.500 and bodies were made for Simplex under contract by such firms as Quimby, Demarest, Holbrook and Brewster. In 1908 a stripped down version Simplex car won the 24 hour race at Brighton Beach, and famous drivers who drove for Simplex cars included George Robertson, Al Poole and Joe Tracy. The Simplex cars were designed by Edward Franquist who introduced a 38hp 7.8-litre shaft-drive model in 1911, and a 75hp 10-litre chain-drive roadster in 1912. By 1914 this Simplex car was the only chain-driven model in the range, and this Simplex car was said to be the last chain-driven American car. Some of these Simplex cars had a sharply-pointed V-radiator, although most Simplex cars used a flat, Mercedes-type radiator.

The 1914 Simplex car range consisted of the 38hp, 50hp and 75hp fours, and a 50hp six, but towards the end of that year a new Simplex car appeared with heralded a complete change in the Simplex car company. This was the 46hp L-head Simplex Crane Model 5, designed by Henry M. Crane who had replaced Franquist as chief designer of the Simplex cars after a company reorganization. The new Simplex car was a very high quality machine and carried beautiful coachwork, mainly by Brewster, but it lacked the sporting qualities of ìt predecessor. The Simplex car was made until 1917, and bodies were still being fitted to Crane chassis in 1921. By this time the Simplex car company had been bought by Hare’s Motors, and a re-organized company, the Crane-Simplex Company of New-York, made a few cars in 1923 and 1924.

France, 1920

The French Simplex car was quite a large open tourer with a bullnose radiator, but underneath the bonnet of the Simplex car there was a horizontal single-cylinder engine of 735cc. A special balance weight coupled to the connecting rod and to an eccentric was supposed to avoid vibration. Front wheel brakes were fitted on the Simplex car.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; GNG

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com