Virginia Water Motor Co
Customers trust Virginia Water Motor Company to transport their exotic and luxury cars with the utmost care – which helps to explain why the Surrey-based firm chooses Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
Virginia Water Motor Company undertakes specialist deliveries throughout the UK and Europe for manufacturers, dealers and private individuals. The firm, which moved earlier this year to a new headquarters in Chobham, has just marked its 25th anniversary by commissioning its second Euro VI Mercedes-Benz Atego.
The 12-tonne Atego 1230 L was supplied by Dealer Pentagon Commercials, and has a range-topping L BigSpace high-roofed sleeper cab. Its advanced, 7.7-litre OM 936 straight-six produces 220 kW (299 hp), making it the most powerful of the seven high-torque engine options available to Euro VI Atego customers.
The truck has an enclosed box body with roller shutter doors to both sides and the rear, and a sliding bed, by Newbury specialist Freightshield. This system allows the body to be rolled right off the back of the truck to provide the lowest possible loading angle, which means that even the most ground-hugging of sports models can be accommodated without risk of damage.
Like Virginia Water Motor Company’s four other Mercedes-Benz 12-tonners, it has also has been specified with some very big vehicles in mind. Managing Director Julian Sainsbury explained: “Most single-car transporters are designed to carry vehicles which are no more than five metres in length – so they can’t handle a Rolls Royce Phantom, for example, because that’s 6.2 metres long, as well as weighing in at 3.5 tonnes.
“But our Ategos have 7.5-metre decks, which means we can carry a Rolls and still have half a metre to spare at both ends. We also transport a lot of test cars and the extra space is often useful for tyres and other spares.”
Virginia Water Motor Company runs 15 Mercedes-Benz trucks in total, the fleet also including 7.5-tonners, 10-tonners and Actros tractor units. Pentagon Commercials is due to deliver another Actros in March – this, and the six-car Kassbohrer trailer which the operator has also ordered, will represent a combined investment of £250,000.
Managing Director Julian Sainsbury said: “We’ve remained loyal to Mercedes-Benz trucks over the years because they’re amazingly well built and reliable, so much so that rather than replacing them we just refurbish them occasionally and gradually wind them down.
“Indeed, I’m still running the second vehicle, which was also the first covered transporter, I ever bought, back in May 1990 – it’s a 7.5-tonne 814 and has had two or three new clutches along the way, but has now covered comfortably in excess of one million kilometres and is still going strong.
“We take out Repair and Maintenance Contracts and receive brilliant service from the team at Pentagon’s Andover branch, while the drivers take a pride in their vehicles so they always look nice and tidy too.”
He continued: “I’m optimistic that our latest Mercedes-Benz vehicles will prove every bit as reliable and durable as their predecessors, but it’s interesting to see how much technology has moved on over the last 25 years. Our driver loves his new Atego for its comfort and the smoothness of its auto ’box. He’s also just returned 15 mpg on a long run – he was running light but nonetheless, that’s a very impressive figure.”
The Euro VI Mercedes-Benz Atego range comprises no fewer than 42 model variants in the 6.5-16-tonne gvw light distribution segment. All combine outstanding driving dynamics with state-of-the-art engines that drive, as standard, through quick-changing Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmissions. These engines consume significantly less fuel and up to 40% less AdBlue than their Euro 5 equivalents, while also reducing particulate and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 90%.
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