Brendan Martin
PCS Member
I agree with you Doug, that is a great collection of ambulances, Bruce you are a lucky guy. How often do you drive each of them? Are they restored or in the process?
organizing procars
- Thread starter Bruce Biancalana
- Start date
I agree with you Doug, that is a great collection of ambulances, Bruce you are a lucky guy. How often do you drive each of them? Are they restored or in the process?
Mike McDonald
PCS Member
It's an addiction!
I think it's an addiction!.... a few years ago I had a total of (26) fire trucks and ambulances at one time and only a handful that weren't parade ready. The problem for us was adequate covered storage... not to mention the cost and routine maintenance to keep them ready. (*) I found a "arm patch" that seems to be working OK now! MM
I think it's an addiction!.... a few years ago I had a total of (26) fire trucks and ambulances at one time and only a handful that weren't parade ready. The problem for us was adequate covered storage... not to mention the cost and routine maintenance to keep them ready. (*) I found a "arm patch" that seems to be working OK now! MM
Bruce Biancalana
PCS Life Member
I agree with Mike it is a definite addiction. All the cars in the picture are drivable, I try to drive them occasionally. I have only had an ambulance at a show a few times this year. They are all works in progress. I am not sure if I will ever get all of them totally restored. Like any old cars they all have there weak points and they all have there strong points. I am plugging away at them in hopes of some day having my own vintage ambulance fleet.
Bruce, did that lovely S&S used to belong to Terry Lange? If so, it was the partner to my 75 M-M Criterion at the Speedway in Manitoba! 
Mike McDonald
PCS Member
Terry Lange
Doug: YES it's the same one. The Lange Bros delivered it to me from it's (climate controlled inside storage) in Canada at the Minneapolis PCS Convention in the mid 90's and I drove it 2,300 (trouble-free) miles to CA. I sold it to Dr. David Richards, he traded it to Tim Fantin and Bruce has it now. (*) I believe it's had a pretty sheltered life since it was originally delivered new to the Fort Wright Fire Dept. in Kentucky. MM
Doug: YES it's the same one. The Lange Bros delivered it to me from it's (climate controlled inside storage) in Canada at the Minneapolis PCS Convention in the mid 90's and I drove it 2,300 (trouble-free) miles to CA. I sold it to Dr. David Richards, he traded it to Tim Fantin and Bruce has it now. (*) I believe it's had a pretty sheltered life since it was originally delivered new to the Fort Wright Fire Dept. in Kentucky. MM
Bruce Biancalana
PCS Life Member
Today the car has 65000 miles it is the nicest driving ambulance, the paint and body work is showing some age, the car is still carries it self proudly. I am going to repaint the car eventually, but for now I am happy with it. I have other cars that need attention that are being worked on now. Ed said he would do my 69 M&M Palo Alto car so I am just waiting for him to get an open slot. I am looking for some doors for my 1970 M&M Rapid City car.
Lawrence W. W. Wilson
PCS Life Member
I'm so jealous...............
David, Matt Taylor does indeed have a very impressive collection but my guess is that Tim Fantin has the largest collection of cars. The last time I counted he had over 40 cars, the majority of them being professional cars. The problem is when you ask Tim how many cars he has he can never figure it out since he has them squirreled away in about 6 different places!! Some guys have all the luck. Great pictures Bruce............
David, Matt Taylor does indeed have a very impressive collection but my guess is that Tim Fantin has the largest collection of cars. The last time I counted he had over 40 cars, the majority of them being professional cars. The problem is when you ask Tim how many cars he has he can never figure it out since he has them squirreled away in about 6 different places!! Some guys have all the luck. Great pictures Bruce............
Thanks Larry. I'm definetly in awe of anyone who has the time and resources and ability to even have a couple and keep them in decent shape.
I'll definetly have another one in the future.
On your comment about the Ford Crown Victoria Police intercepter...Ford seems to have survived the Gas Tank Bomb mess they've had to deal with...could've been a model killer for sure.
Locally here the Tahoes seem to have won the battle with Phoenix while Ol Sheriff Joe loves his Chrysler 300's and the Chargers with a few Expeditions thrown in. DPS has a few Chargers but still rolling the Crown Vics. The state at one time even had Volvos in the 90's...used as a test basis due to our extreme climate.
As a Hoosier born and bred I'm pulling for the Carbon Motors experiment to actually survive...supposedly 13000 orders in hand as of this date. Yeah it's totally RoboCop material but they just might make it.
I'll definetly have another one in the future.
On your comment about the Ford Crown Victoria Police intercepter...Ford seems to have survived the Gas Tank Bomb mess they've had to deal with...could've been a model killer for sure.
Locally here the Tahoes seem to have won the battle with Phoenix while Ol Sheriff Joe loves his Chrysler 300's and the Chargers with a few Expeditions thrown in. DPS has a few Chargers but still rolling the Crown Vics. The state at one time even had Volvos in the 90's...used as a test basis due to our extreme climate.
As a Hoosier born and bred I'm pulling for the Carbon Motors experiment to actually survive...supposedly 13000 orders in hand as of this date. Yeah it's totally RoboCop material but they just might make it.
Mike McDonald
PCS Member
A little more (unsolicited) information on your S&S....
Bruce: If you look on the windshield there still should be a green inspection sticker with the month and year we arranged the purchase of the car thru the (twin) Lange Brothers. As I recall at least back then, the car had to be fully registered, licensed, insured and inspected (as an Ambulance) by the Canadian Government (or possibly Manitoba) before it could leave Canada for the U.S. They had that done and also put new tires, hoses, belts, tune-up, etc., on the car there before delivering it to me at the Minneapolis PCS Event so I wouldn't have any trouble with it on my long trip home to CA in the middle of the Summer. They also detailed the car from top to bottom, inside and out and it was honestly hard to tell from a BRAND NEW Ambulance back then along with only having 37,932 original miles. This is where I met Tony Karsnia, Steve Litchman, Walt McCall, Evan Butchers, Mike Barruzza and many other super PCS people for the first time and really hooked me on the PROFESSIONAL Car Society. We put most of it's next 27,000 miles on going to every posssibly pro-car and fire event througout CA and NV with it for several years including one trip to a SPAAMFAA Convention in Phoenix, AZ. (*) Dr. Richards had it delivered to Michigan in an enclosed, air-ride transporter. MM
Bruce: If you look on the windshield there still should be a green inspection sticker with the month and year we arranged the purchase of the car thru the (twin) Lange Brothers. As I recall at least back then, the car had to be fully registered, licensed, insured and inspected (as an Ambulance) by the Canadian Government (or possibly Manitoba) before it could leave Canada for the U.S. They had that done and also put new tires, hoses, belts, tune-up, etc., on the car there before delivering it to me at the Minneapolis PCS Event so I wouldn't have any trouble with it on my long trip home to CA in the middle of the Summer. They also detailed the car from top to bottom, inside and out and it was honestly hard to tell from a BRAND NEW Ambulance back then along with only having 37,932 original miles. This is where I met Tony Karsnia, Steve Litchman, Walt McCall, Evan Butchers, Mike Barruzza and many other super PCS people for the first time and really hooked me on the PROFESSIONAL Car Society. We put most of it's next 27,000 miles on going to every posssibly pro-car and fire event througout CA and NV with it for several years including one trip to a SPAAMFAA Convention in Phoenix, AZ. (*) Dr. Richards had it delivered to Michigan in an enclosed, air-ride transporter. MM
Bruce Biancalana
PCS Life Member
Thanks Mike, I will take all the info I can get! I will have to check if the sticker still exists on the windshield. Was the car red and white when you got it?
Bruce Biancalana
PCS Life Member
It is amazing how some cars stay in the same area for so long. I have done a good amount of mechanical work to the Carol Manor car. I have put around 400 miles on it since I got the car!
Mike McDonald
PCS Member
YES... Red & White
YES.... it was Red and white when I bought it. It had been repainted from it's original Omaha Orange and White. It also had a god awful ALL ORANGE interior except the white headliner that we changed here to black the same as the original dashboard. I never really met the (actual) Canadian Owner as it was all arranged thru the Lange Brothers.... but apparently he owned a high-end body and paint shop in Canada along with a dirt racing track that he used the Ambulance at. It was stored at a "climate controlled" building at his farm. (*) You might want to e-mail Dr. David Richards in Michigan as I believe he has some of the original pictures of it electronically archived along with (S&S Factory) Pictures of the actual car being built and progressively inspected by the Fort Wright, KY Fire Department's "LIFE SQUAD". Although I don't seem to be able to find it right now... I received a picture from the Ft. Wright FD of a fund raiser being held at local park to buy the Ambulance.... showing one of those old thermometer signs of how much had been collected to date etc., that as I recall was around $23-K+ or so to buy it originally. It showed donations and all the names from school kids with single dollar bill donations to larger corporate donors. When I first bought it, I tried to do a lot of local research (first even having a hard time finding tiny Ft. Wright on a KY map!)..... but I finally did talk to their Fire Chief and he said the reason for the low mileage over the 5 year period they owned it was other than generally low volume of calls, that their normal hospital transport was just across the Ohio River in to Cincinatti as I recall...... just a few miles away. When the new federal standards were suggested "they took the bait from a good salesman" as he put it and bought a new "box" ambulance that they kind of regreted later. I sent him a framed 8 X 10 glossy of the new Red and White version taken by Fire Apparatus Journal (Professional) Photographer Chuck Madderom out here that he really appreciated and probably still may have it on his office wall? MM
YES.... it was Red and white when I bought it. It had been repainted from it's original Omaha Orange and White. It also had a god awful ALL ORANGE interior except the white headliner that we changed here to black the same as the original dashboard. I never really met the (actual) Canadian Owner as it was all arranged thru the Lange Brothers.... but apparently he owned a high-end body and paint shop in Canada along with a dirt racing track that he used the Ambulance at. It was stored at a "climate controlled" building at his farm. (*) You might want to e-mail Dr. David Richards in Michigan as I believe he has some of the original pictures of it electronically archived along with (S&S Factory) Pictures of the actual car being built and progressively inspected by the Fort Wright, KY Fire Department's "LIFE SQUAD". Although I don't seem to be able to find it right now... I received a picture from the Ft. Wright FD of a fund raiser being held at local park to buy the Ambulance.... showing one of those old thermometer signs of how much had been collected to date etc., that as I recall was around $23-K+ or so to buy it originally. It showed donations and all the names from school kids with single dollar bill donations to larger corporate donors. When I first bought it, I tried to do a lot of local research (first even having a hard time finding tiny Ft. Wright on a KY map!)..... but I finally did talk to their Fire Chief and he said the reason for the low mileage over the 5 year period they owned it was other than generally low volume of calls, that their normal hospital transport was just across the Ohio River in to Cincinatti as I recall...... just a few miles away. When the new federal standards were suggested "they took the bait from a good salesman" as he put it and bought a new "box" ambulance that they kind of regreted later. I sent him a framed 8 X 10 glossy of the new Red and White version taken by Fire Apparatus Journal (Professional) Photographer Chuck Madderom out here that he really appreciated and probably still may have it on his office wall? MM
Brendan Martin
PCS Member
That's good news. It's a nice car that I'm glad got saved before the rust-monster got to it.