Fancy a fire engine? French firefighters launch online auction

The unusual lots include a working fire engine on sale for just over €1,100 and a Land Rover Defender with a starting price of less than €10,000

A close up of a pompiers vehicle with the number 112 and 18 on the side

The vehicles at auction are all former emergency or pompiers support vehicles, including a Land Rover Defender, a Renault fire engine, and several smaller vans

Jacky D / Shutterstock

Hannah Thompson Hannah Thompson

Published Friday 25 February 2022 - 12:43 Modified Friday 25 February 2022 - 12:43

A fire engine, ambulances and a range of former emergency vehicles are on sale at auction in Hautes-Pyrénées (Occitanie) until March 8 after firefighters launched a call for bids online.

The firefighters of the SDIS 65 have put 41 lots of their old material on sale. As well as the vehicles, there are also Michelin tyres, two Samsung printers, and even a professional cooking grill.

Currently, a fire engine is available for just over €1,100; and a 1997 Land Rover Defender with just 35,000km on the clock is up for sale with a tag of less than €10,000. The model usually sells at €25,000-€35,000 second-hand.

The online auction is available on the public sector auction site Agora store.

This fire engine is one of the more unusual lots Pic: Agorastore.fr / Screenshot

Some of the most notable bids currently include:

Renault Premium fire engine, good condition, 65,035km, petrol, 1998: €1,131
Peugeot Boxer 4x4, new battery, 82,237km, petrol, 2009: €3,712
Peugeot Partner light van, 132,196km, petrol, 2003: €788
Land Rover 4x4 Defender, 35,902km, petrol, 1997: €9,767
Franstal gas plancha grill, good condition, hardly used, 2018: €1,753
Samsung ML-1850DN printers, used condition, 2008: €24

📢 Ouverture d'une vente aux enchères -SDIS65 📢https://t.co/zb8Um4FtRY pic.twitter.com/jYXzOEChv5
— SDIS 65 (@Sdis65) February 24, 2022

The auction does not specify any rules for the use of the vehicles once bought but fire engines and trucks have become popular for campervan conversions in recent years.

A quick search on YouTube finds many people who have converted old fire trucks into campervans, either for an unusual holiday vehicle or as a full-time, moving home.