1917 American LaFrance Type 12 BESTIONI

By Gary Wales

August 29 2014 12 pm

If you’ve ever happened to see La Bestioni or any of Gary Wales other creations chances are you came away scratching your head wondering what the heck you just saw. Well the base for the wild looking 1919 American LaFrance Type 12 BESTIONI you see here is an original 1917 American LaFrance Type 12 fire truck. Wales started with a stock example of the Type 12 and stripped it down to the frame. A new custom chassis was then fabricated using the original frame as a starting point and a 1959 Cadillac engine and transmission were installed.

The most striking feature of the BESTIONI is its body which is as unique and wild as it gets. Wales was inspired by two different vehicles when designing the body: the 1912 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII and the 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Teardrop Coupe. These two pieces are actually where the basis of the vehicle’s design came from as Wales built La Bestioni around a full size replica of the Hispano-Suiza’s hood and grille and added a roofline and rear end that mimics the Talbot-Lago.

After the body was completed La Bestioni was painted in a deep blue hue that is complemented by gold and red accents. Inside the BESTIONI features a custom interior with a single bucket seat and a full array of Veglia gauges. All in all La Bestioni is one of the most unique and outrageous custom cars ever created and it’s guaranteed to turn heads wherever it goes.