2019 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, 1928 Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine
Every year, just before the Super Bowl and the Phoenix Open, Barrett-Jackson stages a huge auto auction at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since it had been a few years since my previous visit, I ventured to Westworld, camera in hand. 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 the departure of Ahrens’ sons and two of his sons-in-law (one of whom was Charles Fox) 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 Ahrens-Fox which 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. It sold at auction for a whopping $104,500.
Size: 7173px × 5118px
Location: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Photo credit: © B. David Cathell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1928, 2019, ahrens, ahrens-fox, arizona, auction, auto, automobile, barrett, bdavid, bowl, car, collectibles, engine, fire, fox, jackson, memorabilia, open, phoenix, scottsdale, super, truck, westworld
