Dennis fire engine lights up vehicle auction

British Car Auctions (BCA) sold a 1955 Dennis F8 Water Tender fire engine for £6,050 last month at Blackbushe, Surrey. Built at the Dennis Works in Guildford, it was stationed at Mevagissey, Cornwall, until the mid-1970s, answering calls for the County Fire Brigade. It still has its original ladders, light portable Coventry Climax pump and hoses and many of its original fittings, including the bell.

BCA's Robin Lawton says: "The Dennis fire engine was certainly the largest 'classic' entered for this sale and we were delighted that it sold to a collector who will maintain it into the future. There is a ready market for such interesting and unusual vehicles, despite the current economic conditions."