Crown Firecoach: 1951-1985 Photo Archive

The 1930s was the decade of style - an era of streamlining and bold, futuristic art deco design that influenced the look of everything from jewelry, furniture and skyscrapers to locomotives, ships and automobiles. Fire engines were no exception, and American LaFrance's ultra-streamlined 500 Series fire apparatus with its dramatically clean styling suddenly made everything else look old-fashioned. This authoritative, superbly researched and lavishly illustrated book documents the American-LaFrance 500 and 600 Series' remarkable nine-year production run from the late 1930s through post WWII. In addition to the big 500/600 Series, the book also covers the lesser known "junior edition" B-500 and B-600 Series. Long overdue, this exciting compendium is the only book ever devoted exclusively to this controversial series and completes another fascinating chapter in American-LaFrance history.

From the late 1940s through the 1950s, American LaFrance was by far the most popular fire truck manufacturer in the U.S. This collection chronicles the most intricate changes the manufacturer made to its revolutionary 700 Series in developing the short-lived 800 Series. Archival photographs are suplemented with articles from Americans LaFrance's corporate magazine and sales literature, as well as features that appeared in Popular Mechanics.