I saw the familiar outline and front end of a Mercedes L406 van in the guise of a German fire truck sitting in the alley that is part of our morning dog-walk. There was no smoke to be seen, not even its diesel exhaust.
There was a guy building a new fence, though, and the van was obviously his work truck. Good call, makes an ideal work truck, what with all those compartments for tools and such.
And the center compartment is plenty long enough for hauling boards and things. I can relate, all too well.
Used commercial vehicles often find new uses once their original intent is no longer relevant.
I remember about 50 years ago when at a Packard Club national meet’s flea market, The Kanter brothers, founders of Kanter Auto Parts, were selling vintage Packard parts out of 2 1948 Henney-Packard hearses. Both were crammed full of car parts because they had lots of room and could take the extra weight.
You got me with this one. I initially assumed you took this when you were in Europe a few years back, it’s hardly the kind of vehicle you’d expect to see in Oregon and I would like to know the story behind how it got there, even here those have mostly departed the streets. But we do get encounters (to those who ask, this is the predecessor model)…
Picture re-uploaded as original was too large.
Although it’s having a German licence plate it isn’t a German fire truck. It’s color and badge on the side door gives it away being a former Dutch firetruck. In the late seventies and eighties it was the standard fire truck for smaller towns and cities als primary truck.
Nowadys they roam the streets as campervans, probably for many years to come
Nice .
FWIW, diesels that smoke out their exhausts need service .
I just fin9ished a three day mountain back roads TT event, about 1/2 Motos and 1/2 sports cars, I drove it mostly flat footed (67 HP pushing a 3,800 # car via a slushbox) and not one of the folks behind me commented on soot nor smell .
The older Mercedes Unimogs were fantastic beats but also very thirsty .
-Nate
I think of of those made it into the US sort of officially There was a 407D motorhome parked behind what’s now Max’s brew pub in Tigard Oregon for years, although it eventually lost it’s body and was turned into a flatbed before disa[[earing when the site was developed.
I’ve also seen some ex fire engines around my home in Bend, an Iveco Z series wit very similar bodywork to the Mercedes and markings from Austria that was used as a camper and some Japanese rigs, one Landcruiser 78 and one HiAce, both crew cabs.