Mercedes-Benz’s Unimog multi-purpose truck and Land Rover’s ‘Cherry Picker’ Defender were strong performers at Shoreham Vehicle Auctions’ January sales.

A 13-year-old, 4.5-litre ex-public utility Unimog with 119,414 miles on the clock was the pick of Shoreham’s first sale after going for nearly £27,000.

A second, six-litre 2001 Mercedes Unimog was also the top seller at another Shoreham auction, selling for £18,000 despite nearly 220,000 miles on the clock.

The specialised nature of Shoreham’s first auction continued with 2006 and 2008 long-wheelbase Land Rover Defender ‘Cherry Pickers’. Both were equipped with hydraulic lifts, with each going for £6,275 and £7,800, despite both having approximately 117,000 miles on the clock.

The current strength of the used LCV market was further highlighted by a third, 2007 Land Rover Defender with 113,000 registered miles, going for £10,800. This was over £4,000 higher than its average worth in the year when production of the iconic 4x4 ends.

The high prices achieved for these specialist vehicles were mirrored by sales of the more traditional LCVs, with both January sales achieving 100% conversion rates for its vendors.

Two LDV 400 Convoy vans went for over twice their book values, with the youngest model selling for £3,400, nearly three times its list price. LDVs continued to prove popular on the south coast, with a 16-seater 2003 minibus going under the hammer for over twice its CAP average price.

Alex Wright, managing director of Shoreham Vehicle Auctions, said “Our first two sales of 2015 proved the used LCV market is in rude health. Good quality 4-6-year-old panel vans interspersed with specialist lots of ex-public utility stock demonstrated that demand is strong going forward. We expect this to continue, with prices remaining stable whatever happens to the UK economy.”