1916 | American LaFrance Type 40 Speedster

Lot details

Year: 1916
Make: American
Model: LaFrance Type 40 Speedster
Registration: BF 7761
Chassis No: 1232
Engine No: 1232
Mileage: tbc
•: Brand new oak-wheels by Daniel Garner Wheelwrights
•: Engine &transmission fully rebuilt
•: Starts immediately and drives well

The 'chain-drive era' is, for many, one of the most romantic periods in motoring history. A number of cars such as GN and Frazer-Nash took advantage of the direct torque transfer that chain-drive provided, and often extremely effective within motorsport as it turned out. The most dramatic of all was the American LaFrance which originally produced fire engines and fire-marshal trucks but now, after shortening the chassis and replaced the cumbersome working body with just the basics, became a popular donor suppling the under-pinnings for a range of great-looking open speedsters. The classical style of American LaFrance then easily recognised mimicking the leviathan racers of the Veteran and Edwardian ages with huge displacement engines using chain drive to artillery wheels and providing a truly exhilarating experience.

This now 108-year-old Speedster began life as a Type 40 fire tender initially delivered to Providence, Rhode Island after which it was sold to the fire department in Little Rock, Arkansas later in 1916. Its post-service history is unknown until it was shipped to the UK after it was discovered in a barn in upstate New York in 2003. Chassis number 1232 was then converted to a two-seat Speedster over a three-year period and at great expense, this work involved a full engine and transmission restoration by a noted Aero Engine engineer. It also benefits from the correct ramshorn inlet manifold crossing the T-head and then producing a thunderous exhaust note to the transverse side of the 9½ litre engine cooled by an uprated six cylinder higher capacity radiator. Power is transferred via larger sprockets to the then new 35x5 artillery wheels, fully remanufactured by Daniel Garner, wheelwright to the Royal Navy and supported by correct Lester straight-sided tyres all round. The fuel tank is a new item, painted to match, with twin brass fuel filler caps. The seat base is an original veteran item with new Roi-de-Belges-style leather trim. The large Edwardian headlamps take advantage of more modern halogen bulbs, just what you need on the Paris-to-Peking rally, an event that has seen an American LaFrance compete every year (bar-one) since its inception! All this careful engineering, combined with a reliable electric start (including original starting handle), point towards one of the most dramatic events on four-wheels imaginable. Consigned by Edward Bridger-Stille

Period 1916 Rhode Island Convention Centre, image courtesy of the 'Motorized American LaFrance 1907 to 1927' group, chassis 1232 is the third from the bottom.