Crimson Fire, Road Rescue Announce New Dealer

CHARLOTTE, Mich., Dec. 8, 2004 -- Fire truck and ambulance makers Crimson Fire and Road Rescue today announced the addition of Harless Fire Equipment, a Birmingham, Ala.-based fire and rescue dealership serving the Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi markets, to its growing network of dealer partners.

Harless, one of the largest fire truck and ambulance dealers in the country and a leader in the Southeast, will become a full-service dealer for Crimson Fire aerials and fire trucks, Road Rescue ambulance products and an authorized Spartan Chassis service center beginning in January 2005. Harless has four sales and three service centers which, combined with Crimson Fire's factory service center in Alabama and Road Rescue's facility in Marion, South Carolina, allow Spartan to aggressively pursue this region. Crimson Fire, Road Rescue and Spartan Chassis are wholly owned subsidiaries of Spartan Motors, Inc. .

"Spartan has always been a company that is focused on relationships with a clear vision for the future and a willingness to push innovation in their products. Crimson Fire and Road Rescue are an extension of that philosophy," said John Lovell, president of Harless Fire Equipment. "Those factors, as well as their strong focus on the emergency vehicle market and their cost competitiveness on their products, provided us with an outstanding opportunity to build on our market share leadership. We're excited to begin the new year with Crimson Fire and Road Rescue."

Harless has been serving the fire and rescue market for 40 years and was previously a Pierce Manufacturing fire truck dealer for more than 30 years and also sold Medtec ambulances. The Company was founded in 1964, and with four locations and a combined sales force of 20, is one of the leading fire truck and ambulance dealers in the region. Historically, the Harless business model of serving the fire and ambulance markets has produced approximately $20 million in annual revenues.

"We're thrilled to add Harless to the team," said John Sztykiel, chief executive officer of Spartan Motors. "They are an integral part of the future as it relates to Crimson Fire and Road Rescue, and we look forward to working with them to bring industry-leading product innovations and best-in-class service to fire departments in these four states. This agreement also provides Road Rescue and Crimson Fire additional distribution opportunities in a region that will benefit from this increased presence."

Jeff Lautt, president of Crimson Fire, added: "We believe our passion for supporting our dealers and helping them grow the value of their franchise is a key reason Harless joined the team, and we look forward to continuing to be the model of effective OEM, dealer and customer partnerships."

"As a leader in the ambulance marketplace, Road Rescue sees a bright future with Harless," said Richard Hamilton, vice president of sales and marketing for Road Rescue. "We look forward to increased growth in the Southeast market and will continue to support our dealers with innovative solutions."

For more information about Spartan Motors, Inc. or its subsidiaries, visit http://www.spartanmotors.com/ . For more information about Harless Fire Equipment, visit http://www.harlessfire.com/ .

About Spartan Motors

Spartan Motors, Inc. (http://www.spartanmotors.com/ ) designs, engineers and manufactures custom chassis and vehicles for the recreational vehicle, fire truck, ambulance and emergency-rescue markets. The company's brand names -- Spartan(TM), Crimson Fire(TM), Crimson Fire Aerials(TM) and Road Rescue(TM) -- are known in their market niches for quality, value, service and being the first to market with innovative products. Spartan Motors employs approximately 700 at facilities in Michigan, Alabama, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and South Dakota and is publicly traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol SPAR.

About Crimson Fire

Crimson Fire, a Spartan Motors company, is a leading manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles, representing quality, value and innovation. Crimson Fire was established in 2003, when Spartan Motors, Inc. merged its two fire apparatus-building subsidiaries, Quality Manufacturing and Luverne Fire Apparatus. Crimson Fire is headquartered in Brandon, South Dakota, and draws on more than 130 years of combined history and excellence in fire truck manufacturing.

About Road Rescue

Established in 1976, Road Rescue, Inc. (http://www.roadrescue.com/ ) designs and manufactures custom modular ambulances and specialty vehicles. For emergency vehicle personnel throughout North America, the Road Rescue(R) brand name means high quality, innovation and customer care. Road Rescue vehicles are sold through a dealer network that covers the United States and Canada.