By 1938, Packard had been out of the truck manufacturing business for 15 years, but a brief collaboration with the General Fire Truck Corporation of Detroit, Michigan, saw Packard supply four 1937-’38 chassis for conversion into fire trucks. Reportedly, just one was built on the Super Eight platform, and next month the claimed-only 1938 Packard Super Eight fire engine, constructed by General Fire Truck and with a documented three-owner history, heads to auction in the Gooding & Company tent at Pebble Beach.

General Fire Truck Corporation began as the General Manufacturing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1905. In the early years, its production centered on hoses and industrial belts, often used to power machine tools for manufacturing applications. Later, it expanded into the manufacturing of fire extinguishers, and as demand for leather belting declined, General devoted more of its production to chemical extinguishers and fire-fighting equipment. By the time the manufacturer moved to a larger St. Louis location in 1926, the bulk of its business was the production of motorized fire apparatus, prompting a name change to the General Fire Truck Corporation to reflect this.

This classic fire engine turns heads, not fire hydrants. More image on Hemmings Daily.