Rolls Royce Fire Engine

The model is based on a real car put into service at the Bourogh Green Fire Station in Kent. The model has been given a 1920 date but is wrong, it should be 1921.

The model was rushed into production due to development problems with the Talbot Van which should have been the new Y-6 for 1977.

By using components already in production it was possible to develop this Fire Engine in a short period of time.

The model was introduced into the Yesteryear range in early 1977 but shortly after, it was realised by a collector the number on the base still showed Y-7, not Y-6 which was the number used for the 1912 Rolls-Royce and the mistake was created because of the whole base and wings casting was borrowed from that Y-7 model.

Production was halted while the tooling was modified to allow all future models to show a Y-6 & Y-7 base number but in fact, models do exist after this change as old stock bases were found and put back into the production flow so anyone keeping a record of this model's 'Time-Line' will find it difficult understanding a reversion back to a single number base!

Despite Ken Wetton's dislike for this model (Ken was head of design etc at Lesney), it proved to be a very popular model and stayed in production until it's deletion from the range in 1988.

In it's long production run it would be subjected to some specification changes such as the metal crew seats being replaced by plastic versions and the different ladders design without a tooling number, then with a tooling number, Four moulding posts then Six moulding posts, and of course the different colours used.

Most collectors will have several examples of this model to show the main production differences but the avid collector will have to search out many, many more examples to show a more accurate representation of this model's production 'Time-Line'.

I currently have over 30 variations recorded from the 1977 production period, all with just the Y-7 base number and this is before 1978 production starts!

(Kevin Bailey - June 2019)