The fully professional FD of the City of Lisbon (owned/operated by the Municipal Council) went through a major modernization process in the early 1930’s, when it became named BSB. With regard to apparatus the animal-traction has then come to an end, by means of the purchase from Germany of a lot of 29 Mercedes-Benz/METZ firefighting and command vehicles (it is believed that it was, at the time, the largest order to METZ ever). Part of this order was a sub-fleet of 4 Mercedes-Benz (Nürburg model) 4-seat sedans dated 1931, which would carry each of the 4 District Chiefs to the fire-ground. The only remaining car is depicted herewith (photo credit: unknown; from my private file) and is kept, well preserved and in good running order, in the RSB (former BSB) Fire Museum, in Lisbon. In spite of being a command vehicle it actually carried 350 liters of water in a tank mounted in the luggage compartment plus 100 meters of ø 50mm hose an d 4 sections of ø90mm suction hose, along with an enclosed/PTO METZ pump…