Supplied by dealer S & B Commercials, the 6x2 Antos 2530 has a short S-ClassicSpace day cab and is powered by a 7.7-litre BlueEfficiency engine that produces 300bhp and drives through an eight-speed version of the PowerShift 3 automated transmission.
The bodywork is by Transporter Engineering, of Halstead, Essex.
The vehicle will be used to collect accident-damaged vehicles and return them after repair. It operates alongside the Bishops Stortford-based firm’s other transporter, a five-car unit based on an 18-tonne Mercedes-Benz Axor.
“That truck has provided 10 years of highly reliable service,” says Hilton Group’s finance manager Paul Underdown. “This goes some way towards explaining why we’ve also chosen to base our new transporter on a Mercedes-Benz chassis, as does our long heritage with the manufacturer.”
The company’s decision to invest in the Antos was prompted by increased customer demand. “We’re travelling further afield to pick up damaged vehicles from dealerships, customers’ homes and other locations, then return them once they’ve been repaired.
“The new transporter is used for the more distant work – it goes out fully-loaded each morning and we don’t see it again until the end of the day,” adds Underdown.