A landmark auction by Cambridgeshire-based Cheffins has seen a classic tractor sold for more than £90,000 – breaking the record for the highest price paid.

Cambs Times: A landmark auction by Cambridgeshire-based Cheffins has seen a classic tractor sold for more than £90,000A landmark auction by Cambridgeshire-based Cheffins has seen a classic tractor sold for more than £90,000 (Image: Archant)

The 1981 Ford County 1474 Long Nose was sold for £94,500 against an estimate of £60,000 to £70,000.

It was sold as part of an auction of classic Ford and Fordson tractors on behalf of well-known enthusiast, Paul Cable, and was purchased by an Irish collector.

The Paul Cable collection went under the hammer on May 12 in Hertfordshire.

Comprising of 38 sought-after Ford classic tractors and piles of implements and spares, the collection has been earmarked as one of the most important single-vendor sales of classic tractors for many years.

Cambs Times: Landmark auction by Cambridgeshire-based Cheffins has seen a classic tractor sold for more than £90,000Landmark auction by Cambridgeshire-based Cheffins has seen a classic tractor sold for more than £90,000 (Image: Archant)

Amassed more than 14 years, many of the tractors on offer were some of the rarest examples of their type to have hit the market, including the uncommon Fordson County derivatives such as the Super-4, Super-6 and a 1957 Four Drive.

Bill King, Cheffins chairman, said: “The prices achieved at this astonishing auction far exceeded our expectations. With a huge crowd of enthusiasts from throughout the UK and particularly Ireland, there was strong bidding throughout with several record prices being achieved.

“Following a 50-year career in farming, Paul Cable decided to retire and sell his collection, creating one of the most significant on-site sales for machinery of this type to have hit the market for many years.

The second highest value tractor on offer on the day was a County 1184 dating back to 1981 which sold for £56,700 to a farmer from Lincolnshire; swiftly followed by the 1961 Doe Triple-D which sold for £44,100 and was purchased by a buyer from Scotland.

Similarly, a low-houred 1979 County 1174 which operated at Stansted Airport sold for £43,050, over double its lower estimate of £20,000.

Oliver Godfrey, from Cheffins, added: “This is one of the finest collections of Ford and Fordsons variants in the UK. With a fantastic eye and a skill for preservation, Paul’s collection is a Ford and Fordson enthusiast’s dream.

“The level of interest we have had for this sale was exceptional and we were incredibly busy on the day with buyers from all over the country.”