VIDEO/PHOTO: An old fire truck parked at Thendara Automotive is drawing attention for its unique place in North Country history.
The truck, known as the Blitz Buggy, changed the way fire trucks were built when it was introduced.
Kate Lewis, director of the Town of Webb Historical Association, said, “Four Wheel Drive, there’s something to do with the pump; it turns right on, you don’t have to wait to prime anything else.”
The Blitz Buggy’s story began in the early 1940s when local mechanic W. Lewis Armstrong started Army’s Fire Service.
Armstrong later worked with other local businessmen to build the Blitz Buggy.
“He went into business with the Burdicks, and they asked the Brussels to manufacture the trucks. Each one is different because they were built to the specification of the company,” Lewis said.
Only 50 Blitz Buggy trucks were made in Thendara, including Truck 4, which was built in 1959 and later sold to a collector.
WKTV NBC/CBS 2 Utica
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