Why do we love old firetrucks so much? I suppose it’s partially because they’re typically overbuilt rigs that are known to be endlessly capable, but also because most of us don’t get to play with such high-grade machinery on a daily basis. Factor in the novelty of a vintage fire apparatus and it’s of little surprise they show up for sale so often. This example is a 1956 Land Rover Series 1 used by a Finnish community located 100 km north of the Arctic Circle – brrr. Find it here on eBay with an opening bid of $5K and no activity yet.

Now, unfortunately, it’s still in Finland – Helsinki, to be exact. That will make the logistics a definite factor to consider when potentially bidding to win. The good news is it looks like it’d be well worth your efforts, as the interior is in excellent condition despite its intended use as a highly utilitarian vehicle. The Rover hasn’t left its frigid home of Kemijärvi and has been parked indoors when not in use.

Mileage is reportedly just over 19,000 km, and the truck certainly seems to be in survivor-grade condition. It’s not perfect, but it’s not been messed with, either. Power comes from a 1.6L gasoline-fed four-cylinder, but I’m not sure if that’s correct given my understanding was the 1.6 was upgraded to a 2.0L engine beginning in 1952. Perhaps this is a replacement unit, or maybe the seller is mistaken.

Whatever the case, you won’t be going anywhere quickly with the heavy-duty equipment and limited power output of either engine. The Land Rover retains all of its vintage firefighting equipment, much of which I’m sure is prized among fire apparatus collectors who are trying to piece together the bits and pieces needed to create an authentic re-creation or put a genuine fire truck back together. The opening bids seems reasonable, especially if the logistics of getting it home don’t scare you off.