The Ambassador was a custom chassis built by Ward LaFrance Truck Corp..
Production[]
Introduced as the Mark I in 1962, the series was subsequently renamed Ambassador. It was used as a chassis for pumpers, aerials, rescues, tankers, and airport crash tenders. The main design feature that the Ambassador was known for was its' distinct triangular, protruding windshield. Production continued until Ward LaFrance ceased operations in 1979.
As a side note, the company that owned Ward LaFrance during the 1970s & 80s also owned Maxim; resulting in the Ambassador and Maxim's F-Model essentially having the same cabs, but with different front faces.
Specifications[]
- Pump: 1000gpm - 2000gpm
- Tank: 500 Gallons, 750 Gallons, 1000 Gallons
Famous Appearances[]
The Ambassador earned a degree of television fame on the 1970s show Emergency!. In the show's 3rd season, Universal Studios was presented a 1973 Ward LaFrance Ambassador for use on the show as Engine 51, after which it appeared in every episode. After Emergency! ended in 1977, the pumper appeared in a number of television and movie productions before it was transferred to the Yosemite Fire Department. It was eventually reacquired, restored, and is now in the collection of the Los Angeles County Fire Museum.
The Ambassador also earned silver screen fame as featured in the 1991 film "Backdraft." Two Ward LaFrance Ambassadors with Ranger bodies (ex-Engine 8 and ex-Engine 106, refurbished by the Chicago Fire Department shops), were leased by the film's production company, then returned to the Chicago FD. One was marked as Engine 17, the apparatus that Kurt Russell, William Baldwin and Scott Glenn's characters operated on during the film. The other, possibly as an homage to "Emergency!", was marked as Engine 51.