Fire Engines Photos

The Austin Gypsy packed a lot of firefighting capacity into a very small package, thanks to the lightweight Coventry Climax 500 GPM pump mounted at the front, which left the entire body for seating and storage. With a choice of two wheelbases, it came with a choice of a 40 or 70 gallon water tank with a hose reel, and either two or four seats. As seen here, they could also carry a small extension ladder.Although Cornwall bought a number of them, they were not very common with county or city brigades, and were mainly sold to factory fire services - some of which deleted the rear seats to accommodate more hoses and equipment.

Several - in basic form without pumps or tanks - were also used by the AFS, but because the Gypsy was introduced much later than the Land Rover, they had a fearsome competitor to contend with and an uphill battle to find customers.


Added by Rob Johnson on 11 November 2025.

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