Fans of the popular red marque will be making their way to Skipton in Yorkshire in May for the sale over 40 Massey Ferguson tractors.
The tractors going under the hammer belong to Alan Bancroft, a well-known collector of Massey Fergusons, who is known for only buying at the top end of the market.
An era of classic tractors
The collection spans the decades of the company’s heights of production in Banner Lane and tracks the gradual increase in sophistication over the last part of the 20th century.
Sadly, for many Massey fans, it also marks the end of tractor production in Coventry as the Beauvais factory was given the task of manufacturing a smaller volume of machines that, individually, had a higher value.
Featured machines
Notable machines at the sale include a 1982 Massey Ferguson 1250, which has an estimate of £40,000 (approx. €48,000).
The MF 1250 was an upgraded version of the 1200, the first centre pivot machine to be designed for the UK market.
It was built from 1979 until 1983 and was withdrawn as conventional tractors started to match its power output of 112hp.
Also highlighted by Cheffins is a 1975 Massey Ferguson 148, estimated to sell around £8,000 (approx. (€9,500). The 148 was a popular model of 49hp which sold alongside the slightly smaller 45hp 135 between 1972 and 1976.
A 1995 Massey Ferguson 390T of 95hp is offered with an estimate of £18,000 (approx €21,600).
The 300 series represents the last hurrah of fully mechanical machines and were sold as lower spec alternatives to the the 3000 series which featured various electronic controls.
Half a million sale value
Oliver Godfrey, head of machinery sales at Cheffins comments:
“Alan Bancroft is a well-regarded collector of Massey Ferguson classic and vintage tractors, with an eye for real quality. He is a long-term client of Cheffins and has bought many of these tractors at our sales over the years. This collection could easily achieve over £500,000 in total.”
He adds that there is a good selection of 100, 300, 500 and 600 series Massey Fergusons as well as some superb Ferguson and Massey Ferguson implements on offer, at what he believes to be the biggest Massey Ferguson sale in decades.
The sale takes place on May 7, 2022, both on site and online.