Rare early ride-on mower to go under the hammer

One of the first ride-on mowers sold in the UK has been found in an industrial unit in Lincoln and is being sold at auction later this week.

Industrial auctioneers BTG Eddisons said the Anzani Lawnrider, introduced in the early 1960s on the UK domestic market, had no brakes and had to be leant into corners like a motorbike.

The mower retailed at about £100 and auctioneer Paul Cooper said: "It didn't sell in big numbers," and surviving models were "rare".

The machine will go under the hammer at BTG Eddisons auction centre in Scunthorpe on Tuesday at 13:00 BST.

The auctioneers said the mower was found under a cover at the back of a shed on the Lyndon Business Park, when the team were called in to handle the clearance of a cleaning business that had gone into liquidation.

"Despite its appearance it really is a remarkably innovative piece of kit," Cooper said.

"It's powered by a 150cc four-stroke Villiers engine that is capable of moving machine and rider at a fair old pace when mowing."

According to the auctioneers, the mower could tow a trailer and use its flexible power take-off system to operate a variety of attachments.

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