Dennis Rapier

The Dennis Rapier is a purpose-built fire engine produced by Dennis Specialist Vehicles of Guildford, Surrey, England from 1991 to the early 2000s.

Dennis Rapier
A facelift Humberside Fire and Rescue Service Dennis Rapier
Overview
TypeFire engine
ManufacturerDennis Specialist Vehicles
Production1991-2000s
AssemblySlyfield Industrial Estate, Guildford
DesignerCapoco Design (1993 facelift)
Body and chassis
ClassLarge goods vehicle (N2, N3)
Body styleCab over engine
RelatedDennis Sabre
Powertrain
EngineCummins C260-21, turbocharged
TransmissionAllison MCDR 'World Series' five-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase3,600 mm (141.7 in)
Length6,490 mm (255.5 in)
Width2,350 mm (92.5 in)
Height2,537 mm (99.9 in)
Kerb weight1,400–3,460 kg (3,086–7,628 lb)[1]
Chronology
PredecessorDennis RS/SS series
SuccessorDennis Dagger

Features
Preserved pre-facelift Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Dennis Rapier

Regular production of the Rapier began in 1991, following a demonstrator unit being shown around different fire brigades in the United Kingdom a year prior.[2] The first Rapiers maintained some design elements of the RS/SS series they replaced, although featuring a redesigned front grille and rectangular headlights.

The Rapier would receive a facelift in 1993, designed by Capoco Design.[3] The facelift would be mainly focused on the cab, giving it a modern and streamlined appearance and also allowing the cab to tilt to a total of 42 degrees. This facelift redesign would see Dennis and Capoco win a British Design Award in 1994.[4][5]

As standard, the Rapier is powered by a Cummins C260-21 turbocharged six-cylinder engine and has an Allison MCDR five-speed automatic transmission. The Rapier's suspension uses "race car technology" such as a double-wishbone and coil springs with telescopic dampers, and the gearing allows a governed top speed of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h).[6]

While the Rapier proved very popular with some brigades, others found it to be prohibitively expensive and limited in its equipment load capacity. The Dennis Sabre would be launched in 1995 as a low-cost alternative with increased load capacity, which would ultimately succeed the Rapier and eventually be the last full-size fire engine produced by Dennis Specialist Vehicles.[7] Production of the Dennis Rapier would eventually cease in the early 2000s due to low sales and a parts shortage as a result of the discontinuation of the Renault Midliner, which sourced the Rapier's front suspension and brakes.[8]

Operators

The Humberside Fire Brigade were a major customer for the Dennis Rapier in the United Kingdom, with the brigade standardising on the appliance throughout its production into the late 1990s.[9][10][11] Other operators of the Rapier in the United Kingdom included fire brigades in Merseyside, who took on a handful of pre-facelift examples, West Sussex, Kent,[12] Shropshire[13] and Nottinghamshire.

Dennis Rapiers were also built for fire brigades in Belgium, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.[14][15][16]

Two Dennis Rapiers were delivered to Frankfurt and Erfurt, Germany in 2000 to evaluate whether the Rapier could function as a standard rescue pumper. The Rapier was met with a mixed reception by Frankfurt's fire crews in particular, and following a brief trial period, no further orders of the Rapier followed.[17][18]

One Dennis Rapier was delivered to Hong Kong.

References
  1. "Welcome to Rapier; the fire fighter's machine". Dennis Fire. Archived from the original on 21 June 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  2. "Dennis Rapier launched". Commercial Motor. 17 October 1991. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  3. "Truck makers going to blazes". Commercial Motor. 7 October 1993. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  4. "Ninety Years of Dennis Fire". Dennis Fire. Archived from the original on 5 June 2004. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  5. "Alan Ponsford". Speakers for Schools. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  6. "Rapier Standard Specification". Dennis Fire. Archived from the original on 21 June 2004. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  7. "Road Test: Dennis Sabre vs Volvo FL614". Commercial Motor. 20 March 1997. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  8. Goundry, Andy (23 March 2020). Dennis Buses and Other Vehicles. Crowood. pp. 137–139. ISBN 978-1-78500-708-8. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  9. "Rapiers at the double". Grimsby Telegraph. 2 June 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 10 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Brigade gets new engines". Hull Daily Mail. 24 February 1998. p. 11. Retrieved 10 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "£150,000 fire engines join the battle to save lives". Grimsby Telegraph. 9 February 1999. p. 5. Retrieved 10 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Deals for Dennis". Commercial Motor. 30 January 1992. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  13. "Asset Stewardship Report" (PDF). shropshirefire.gov.uk. Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority. 21 September 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  14. "Brigade Action". Commercial Motor. 14 May 1992. Retrieved 31 July 2021. Nearly 30 Rapiers have been built so far, including a left-hooker for a brigade in the Netherlands.
  15. "Hot competition in the firing line". Commercial Motor. 12 September 1996. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  16. "Dennis breaks pound barrier". GetSurrey. Guildford. 17 April 1998. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  17. "Das HLF – ein Frankfurter Kind" [The HLF - a Frankfurt child]. Museumsdepesche (in German). No. 23. Feuerwehr Frankfurt am Main. December 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  18. "HLF Dennis". www.feuerwehr-dittelstedt.de (in German). Feuerwehr Erfurt-Dittelstedt. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
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