In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Hussain Al Rahoomi, Head of Station Affairs Department at Dubai Civil Defense, said that the vehicle had been modified by experts to reach a staggering speed of up to 340 km/h.

The car was also equipped with fire extinguishers and first-aid equipment, in addition to various monitoring features and devices.

“The Guinness World Records’ administration have confirmed that there is no registered fire truck that with the same specifications as ours,” said Lt Col Al Rahoomi.

He explained that Civil Defence currently own two cars, but intend to purchase two more later in the year, adding that each car is worth approximately half a million dirhams – without the installed equipment.

The overhaul project all started with Jack Slaght observing a number of parades in downtown Petersburg. The Model A was in the parade but, “it ran really rough,” he said. “It did not sound good. It popped and backfired. It had no muffler. Anyway, the long and short of it is I volunteered my time in what was going to be just a good complete tune up and maybe minor overhaul turned into a major overhaul.”

Now Slaght stands next to the vehicle housed in its own room at the Scow Bay fire hall just outside of town. The truck’s hood is raised from the side showing off a shiny green motor, which Slaght completely rebuilt. This fire truck is the oldest vehicle in the fire department’s fleet and has no cab.