Delahaye Type 103 Pompiers, 1/24 - Heller 80780

The Société des automobiles DELAHAYE is one of the oldest French automobile trademarks, and was created in 1845 by Emile DELAHAYE. The company presented its first vehicle in 1894. The firm‘s vehicle production covered a wide variety of vehicles ranging from agricultural machines and firefighting equipment to private and racing cars. The success of the DELAHAYE automobiles was of course a result of the technical options selected and of their high quality but was also due to the fact that the technical manager, Charles WEFFEINBACH, was one of the first to rationalise the methods to be applied to mass production lines. This „Big ladder“ is in fact a DELAHAYE Type 103, 1937 model, and equipped with an all steel 26 m MAGIRUS ladder. Specially ordered by the Monacan Principality, this unique example was delivered in 1939 to the Monaco Fire Brigade. It remained in service until 1968/69, when it was bought by the Municipality of BONNEVILLE (Haute-Savoie - France). Today the Firefighters’ Museum in Haute-Savoie carefully preserves it. (217, route du Moulin de la Glacière - Domaine de Guidou, 74 140 SCIEZ).