A VIETNAM War-era American military truck that spent decades in bits in a Richmond farmer’s shed is attracting international interest ahead of an auction next week.

The vehicle is a rare 1967 Kaiser Jeep 715, a light military troop carrier/cargo transporter that, half a century after it rolled off the production line in Ohio, has just 7,000 miles on the clock.

Paul Cooper of auctioneers Eddisons CJM said: “The farmer picked it up at surplus military equipment sale in Catterick in the 1980s and, despite the low mileage, decided to dismantle and rebuild it. Unfortunately he never got any further than the dismantling bit.”

“As recently as four years ago it remained a rolling chassis from which the cab and the vehicle body had been removed – as had the three and half litre engine. That said it was all still there and, thanks to the dry storage it turned out to be in remarkably good condition. An 18-month restoration project has seen it put back together again.”

Paul added: “The Kaiser Jeep was experimental, a tactical military vehicle built from off-the-shelf civilian vehicle parts. The Army never much liked it and although it saw service in Vietnam and at American bases around the world it remained in production for just a couple of years. The result is of course that it is now quite a rarity – particularly in this country.

“The inclusion of the Kaiser in next week’s auction has aroused a lot of interest. We have been fielding enquiries not only from all over this country but also from abroad – including the United States.”

The Kaiser Jeep is one of a number of classics from the private collection of a Lincolnshire historic vehicle restorer that are going under the hammer at the Eddison CJM Auction Centre in Scunthorpe on Tuesday. The now retired engineer created his remarkable collection by taking on restoration projects that, like the Kaiser, had defeated other would-be restorers.