Enthusiasts snap up rare Land Rovers from Cannock

Bidders from 79 countries across the world tuned into a Staffordshire town for the auction of a unique collection of rare Land Rovers.

Global interest in yesterday's £200,000 sale at Cannock included enthusiasts from China, America, Japan, Trinidad and even French Polynesia.

And although more than 200 people attended the auction, staged by Land Rover parts specialists John Craddock, most of the lots went to internet bidders,

The star of the show, a 1958 snow-tracked Cuthbertson, was sold online to a doctor in Germany for £46,100.

The only local bidder, farmer Nigel Simkin from Essington, snapped up a Land Rover which had been adapted as a fire engine for £3,000.

The father-of-two, of Ride Farm in Hilton Park, said he would retain it as a fire engine, given the farm's rural location. But the vintage car fan was not looking forward to taking it home.

"My wife will probably make me take it back – but you've got to have a few boys' toys," he said.