Fire Truck Orders Reach Record in 30-Year History of Spartan Chassis

DENVER, Aug. 11, 2005 -- Spartan Chassis, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. , today announced it has received a record number of custom fire rescue chassis orders during the first two quarters this year, an all-time high in the 30-year history of the Company.

Spartan Chassis' order intake for fire truck chassis hit 409 for the first half of 2005, a 40 percent increase over the first and second quarters in 2004. The increase in orders can be attributed to a number of factors working in conjunction.

"The major factors driving our increase in orders were our strategic partnerships with dealers and apparatus builders enabling us to respond to the custom needs of fire departments," reports Richard Schalter, president of Spartan Chassis. "Growing firefighter demand for our products has led to a strong position for Spartan Chassis as a leader in the custom fire rescue vehicle market."

According to the July 2005 FAMA/FEMSA Congressional Fire Watch, $23 million goes up in smoke each day due to fire related property damage and this number is escalating 5.7 percent annually, yet the total number of firefighters in the U.S. has remained stationary for over a decade. In addition, 54 percent of our nation's fire trucks are over 15 years old. These factors point to the need for high-quality fire and rescue equipment and effective firefighter training programs to be implemented. Spartan Chassis and its fire apparatus partners are responding by providing fire departments with vehicles designed specifically for their crew, resulting in optimal firefighter performance.

Additionally, Spartan's presence and support of many fire industry events including this week's Fire Rescue International show demonstrate Spartan's dedication to the fire and rescue industry. These events also give Spartan associates the opportunity to listen to the needs and ideas of customers on a large scale.

About Spartan Chassis:

Spartan Chassis, Inc. (http://www.spartanchassis.com/ ) operates under Spartan Motors, Inc. and is a leading developer and manufacturer of custom chassis for recreational vehicles and fire trucks. The company has a reputation for high quality, value, service and being the first to market with innovative products.

Spartan Motors is publicly traded in the NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker symbol SPAR.