A sale of vintage and classic tractors conducted by East of England auctioneers firm Cheffins has generated total sales of more than £1.135m.
The sum included £86,100 paid for a 1963 Matbro Mastiff, a UK record for a vintage tractor and more than twice the guide price of £40,000.
A Lanz Bulldog D9550 crawler tractor sold for £75,600 and a 1957 David Brown crawler tractor achieved £63,000, both record prices for these types, and a rare County 954 Super-Six, dating from the 1960s, smashed its guide price of £12,000 to sell eventually for £19,500.
The sale also included an impressive collection of steam engines, led by a 1918 pair of John Fowler ploughing engines known as Horsa and Hengist which were sold for a total for £147,000.
A Fowler Class DNA Hercules’ steam tractor, in dismantled condition, sold for £31,500 to an enthusiast who intends to rebuild the machine.
A series of rare and collectible vintage living vans also achieved significant interest with £9,900 achieved for a 1914 Burrell unit, known to be one of only three in existence, and £14,850 for a 1934 aluminium-clad timber frame living wagon.
The sales formed part of Cheffins’ latest Cambridge Vintage Sale, held at Sutton, near Ely, on Saturday, April 22, which also included a wide range of classic commercial vehicles, cars and motorcycles together with memorabilia, spare parts and small implements.
Among the commercials was a 1920 Albion Model A16 Charabanc, previously owned by the High Commissioner of New Zealand and which has featured in the TV series Houdini and Doyle, which attracted huge crowds and sold for £73,500.
Total sales across all categories topped £2m, with more than 4,000 people attending the event including buyers from as far afield as Ireland, Germany, the United States, Sudan, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
Bill King, chairman of Cheffins, said: “It is impossible to describe the excitement and buzz of the day at this truly exceptional sale.
“We were honoured to have sold some of the world’s rarest and highest value classic tractors, steam engines and motorcycles and our total sales result of £2m makes this easily the largest collective auction of items of this type in Europe.
“We saw hordes of buyers from all over the world with some travelling from as far away as New Zealand and Australia to see these machines being sold. The prices achieved were second-to-none and this really goes to show how vintage machinery continues to be one of the most popular alternative investment types in the UK.
“In spite of economic turmoil with an inbound General Election and the triggering of Article 50, people are still willing to part with some serious money for these desirable items. Rarity was the order of the day, with the least common models smashing UK records for prices paid.”
For the full results of the sale, click here. The next Cambridge Vintage Sale will take place on July 15.
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