American. 1955-1956. Pressed steel. Doepke was known for their miniature replicas of real-world vehicles. This truck was produced by the company under an official license from a major manufacturer, American-La France (ALF). ALF was one of the oldest and most influential American manufacturers of fire apparatus and emergency vehicles (real trucks, not toys). The searchlight truck is part of the ALF 700 Series of fire trucks and is considered to be the rarest in the Rossmoyne fleet. Its rarity stems from its extremely short production window and a significantly smaller run than other Doepke toys. As well, while standard Doepke fire trucks were red, the searchlight truck was almost exclusively painted white (a second variation included some silver paint). Interestingly, the searchlight trucks never had the American-La France logo decals affixed to them. While there is no official statement from Doepke or through historical or archived records that explains the absence of the ALF decals, their absence is a known fact and a distinguishing feature for collectors. Embossed, "Good Year", on tires. From the Yvan Lalonde Collection.

Size
9" x 7" x 19".

Condition
Excellent condition. Original paint and decals. Retains excellent colour and gloss.

Medium
Pressed steel.

Signature
Embossed, "Good Year", on tires.

Provenance
From the Yvan Lalonde Collection.