Spectacular vintage collection ready to go under the hammer

Amassed and maintained by John Flynn over the past four decades, the cherished collection, which is currently held in Northern Ireland, is reputed to be one of the best in private hands and includes many historically important models from the 1950s and 1960s with several pre-1940s examples.

All the tractors have been restored where needed, are well maintained and in full working order. They have also been stored in museum-like conditions rather than being regularly driven which is helping generate considerable interest from enthusiasts and collectors from around the globe for this one-day sale.

The sale, which is expected to have a total hammer price of around £1m, is being arranged by Euro Auctions, leaders in conducting unreserved auctions of industrial plant, construction equipment and agricultural machinery, and will take place on Saturday, April 15, from 10am at its Dromore auction and corporate headquarters site in Northern Ireland.

“Over the past 40 years John Flynn has spent thousands of hours scouring the world spending tens-of-thousands of pounds to assemble this unique collection, in what became a life-long passion. John has now decided to put everything up for sale, all as unreserved individual lots in a single day event,” explained Jonnie Keys, Operations Manager for Euro Auctions.

“Whilst his interest in heritage tractors has not waned, increased business interests in Asia have resulted in him deciding to sell this vast collection. This means that some of the rarest and best examples will now become available for others to own, care for and so preserve for future generations to enjoy.”

BZ 5845, is a fantastic example of the Ferguson Brown Type A from 1938 with its Coventry Climax engine. It comes with its original log book and a wealth of documented Irish history. Following a successful 1933 demonstration of his Black Tractor, Harry Ferguson spent time refining it and in 1935 struck a deal where David Brown tractors would build them and Harry Ferguson Ltd would sell them. The first 550 Model tractors were initially priced at £224 with a basic range of implements costing £26. By contrast the contemporary Fordson cost only £140.

In October 1938 the Ferguson Brown tractor was demonstrated in the USA to Henry Ford Senior and he was so impressed that, with a simple handshake, an agreement was reached that resulted in the Ford‑Ferguson 9N.

There is also a rare and highly collectible Ferguson Prototype that was found dry, stored in a barn in Co Wicklow in the 80s and it transpires that it was a gift from Harry Ferguson to a former employee at the Banner Lane factory upon his retirement. Believed to be built in the USA in the early 40s, around the time of the split between Ferguson and Ford, it was shipped to the UK for field testing. There is also a rare 1943 Ford Ferguson Funk, based on the original N series of tractors. This is a six‑cylinder petrol version modelled on the Ford flathead 87HA engine. There are also several other 9N tractors in the collection, in classic grey livery, along with two post 1948 8N variants with their distinctive red and grey paint.

A pristine example of a 1950 Allgaier R22 tractor with the single cylinder water cooled Kaeble engine is also within the collection. German built, Allgaier were taken over by Porsche soon after this model was introduced and the Porsche two cylinder engine replaced the Kaeble unit. This currently sits alongside a well presented, fully restored and highly sought after Porsche powered Allgaier AP17.IT with a fully functional PTO driven winch. For its time this was a surprisingly inexpensive yet modern looking tractor.

There are also several stunning examples of the innovative and forward thinking Porsche Junior 108 tractor in this collection. Manufactured between 1952 and 1963 the Junior was powered by an air-cooled, 822 cc, single-cylinder diesel engine giving 14 hp. In addition to the above examples there are six Allgaier A111s in the collection, an AP17 an AP22 and a 113 from 1956. There are also several other Junior’s with other Porsche models including four 217’s an AP18, a 308, a 238 and an AP22 vineyard.

This collection also includes almost 30 Massey Ferguson tractors including the MF 97 that’s based on the Minneapolis Moline tractor. Manufactured for Massey Ferguson Inc, Detroit by Minneapolis Moline in Minnesota USA, this model was pro­duced from 1961 to 1965 using the impressive 8.3 litre six-cylinder water cooled diesel engine and five speed transmission.

Other marques in the collection include some stunning examples of tractors from David Brown, Deutz, plus Ford Jubilee’s, Ferguson, Fordson and Massey Ferguson tractors including a mix of 35, 65, 135 and 148 models.

“This is a unique private collection, which includes many historically important tractors,” concluded Jonnie Keys from Euro Auctions.

“We were delighted when we were approached to manage this unreserved sale and we’ve already received considerable interest from collectors and individuals from around the globe interested in acquiring their own little part of this heritage collection.”

Full details and a catalogue for this forthcoming classic tractors event are available at www.euroauctions.com and bidders are required to pre-register if they intend to visit the sale in person or bid via Euro Auctions’ Free Internet Bidding Service.

For any other enquiries please contact Euro Auctions on 0044 (0) 2882 898262.