I dont know what they were like to drive or how good an appliance they were ...but appearance wise the Rapier was certainly one of the most agreeable looking fire apparatus around at that time . It is important to get the appearance of any machine right as this leads to higher morale amongst folk who actually have to use the thing and generally better care is taken of kit if it looks and works right . This aspect of industrial design is sometimes overlooked as being inconsequential - and in therory it is ...but my experience is that most operators appreciate good design and appreciate equipment even more if it looks the part ...this Dennis Rapier is certainly a well proportioned and aesthetically pleasing engine
Added by Gary Bolton on 23 May 2012.
the Rapier was a lot lower than having smaller wheels. we had one on Merseyside and it was a flier at time to fast for city roads. It was moved round the brigade on trial and ended up with the USAR team.
Amazing to drive you could push the limits with it, nice sounding engine built in mind for motorway and RTAs, stowage was good very compact intelligent gearbox however drove better in semi mode, one of the best of many I drove.
Hi, I now own this appliance, and it it used for private rescue cover on large industrial sites throughout the uk. Me and my guys are all fire & rescue personnel, and we love driving this truck!
Added by Gary Bolton on 23 May 2012.