Cheffins will host a sale of rare classic tractors, vehicles and farm machinery as part of The Wombwell Collection in a timed online auction from Thursday 17th June – Tuesday 22nd June. Owned by farmer and landowner, the late Dick Wombwell, the collection is based at Rectory Farm in Ickleton, Cambridgeshire, where Cheffins will host a viewing day on 18th June.
Amongst the collection is a rare 1949 Massey-Harris 21 six-cylinder combine harvester. This was only the second self-propelled combine to be created, built in 1941 by Marris Harris of Canada and there are only a handful of these original machines still in existence. With only two owners from new, the combine was purchased via a Cheffins auction in 1994. In an original condition and fully working, the combine has been used to bring in the last acre of harvest at Rectory Farm each year and has an estimate of £3,000 - £5,000. Also on offer is a highly-sought-after 1958 109-inch Series 1 Land Rover. Purchased as an abandoned project, the Land Rover has been meticulously restored and is offered with V5C documentation and has an estimate of £14,000 - £16,000.
Within the tractors available at the sale, there is a 1936 McCormick-Deering WD40 tractor which was purchased through Cheffins in the 1980s. It has been restored and is now estimated to sell for between £4,000 and £6,000. There is also a rare 1947 Fordson Major tractor with an estimate of £7,000 - £9,000, a 1944 Fordson Model N tractor in an original condition with an estimate of £2,000 - £2,500 and a Ferguson TE Continental which has been unused for 20 years and has an estimate of £1,000 - £2,000.
Jeremy Curzon, Director, Cheffins says: “This compact but important sale includes some of the most interesting vehicles in the history of agriculture. It was carefully put together by Dick Wombwell, a well-known face on the vintage tractor scene, with only the most interesting and historic machines making it into the final collection. The 109-inch Land Rover Series 1 has already seen a good deal of pre-sale attention and is set to be popular amongst collectors, whilst the combine and rare tractors on offer will be of interest within the vintage market.”
Peter Wombwell, Dick Wombwell's son, comments: “Amassed over the past 40 or so years, my father’s collection is a testament to his knowledge of the history of farming, as he loved to seek out tractors and machinery from across the UK which were at the forefront of agricultural development. He was a well-known face on the vintage tractor scene, attending various rallies and ploughing matches and was a regular at the Cheffins sales. My father lived on Rectory Farm his entire life and his collection ebbed and flowed over the years, and at its high point included over 20 pieces of vintage kit as he continued to buy items reminiscent of farming in his youth. As he slowly grew his collection from the late 1970s onwards, he scoured the UK for some of the most important examples of vintage tractors, and he loved sharing the history of these wonderful machines with his friends and family. He was never happier than with a spanner in his hand, tinkering with a new find in his workshop or driving around the show ring at vintage and country fairs. There are a handful of vintage tractors which we will be keeping within the family as they bear a special significance to the farm, however we hope that those which are for sale through Cheffins will find fantastic homes where they will be treasured as much as they were when they were in my father’s ownership.”
The timed online sale will take place from at www.cheffins.co.uk from Thursday 17th June – Tuesday 22nd June with a viewing day on Friday 18th June at Rectory Farm, Ickleton, CB10 1TA.
For more information, please visit www.cheffins.co.uk, or call Cheffins auctioneers on 01353 777767.