Tag Archives: 1937

10 Cool Tractors

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Gone Farmin’

All tractors offered by Mecum | Walworth, Wisconsin | August 8-10, 2013

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1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

Last week, Mecum held their annual tractor sale. Tractor collectors are serious and the market for them is strong. They are finally getting the respect in the collector vehicle world that they deserve. That said, I’m not an expert on tractors – I know very little about them. I thought I’d pull 10 tractors out of their catalog to feature just as something cool and different. I picked ones that I thought were rare and/or interesting. I’ll give you some specs, but won’t go into too much detail.

First up is this 1948 McCormick-Deering W-4. McCormick-Deering was a brand produced by International Harvester. The brand was around from 1923 through 1948. The W-4 was also sold as the Farmall H.

Engine: 2.5-liter straight-four. 23 horsepower.

Production: 24,377.

Produced: 1939-1948.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $2,000.

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1919 Waterloo Boy N

1919 Waterloo Boy N

Founded in 1892, Waterloo Boy was the first company to build and sell gasoline-powered tractors. In 1918, they were bought out by John Deere and the brand name disappeared after 1924. This N model is unrestored and all-original. Some specs:

Engine: 7.6-liter two-cylinder. 25 horsepower.

Production: 21,392.

Produced: 1917-1924.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $68,000.

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1948 Massey-Harris 44-6

1948 Massey-Harris 44-6

Massey-Harris was one of the two predecessors of Massey-Ferguson. Massey-Harris was founded in 1891 in Canada as the result of a merger. In 1953, they merged with Ferguson to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson. In 1958, the Harris part was dropped. The 44-6:

Engine: 3.7-liter straight-six. About 80 horsepower.

Production: 6,657.

Produced: 1946-1950.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,800.

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1924 John Deere D

1924 John Deere D

John Deere is the most famous of all tractor manufacturers with their iconic green and yellow paint scheme. The company, which is still technically Deere & Company, can trace its roots directly back to its founding by John Deere in 1837. Here’s some info on the D model:

Engine: 7.6-liter two-cylinder. About 27 horsepower.

Production: about 160,000.

Produced: 1923-1953.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $42,000.

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1927 Rumely Oilpull M 20/35

1927 Rumely Oilpull M 20-35

Rumely Oilpulls were a type of tractor built by Advance-Rumely, a company that was organized in 1915 and acquired by Allis-Chalmers in 1931.

Engine: 9.9-liter two-cylinder. About 35 horsepower.

Production: 3,671.

Produced: 1924-1927.

Update: Sold $35,000.

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1950 Ford 8N

1950 Ford 8N

Henry Ford had his own brand of tractors called Fordson, which he merged with his automobile company in 1920. Ford used the Fordson brand into the 1960s, but they also built tractors under the Ford brand. The N Series was in production from 1939 through 1954. Here’s some info on the 8N:

Engine: 2.0-liter straight-four. About 27 horsepower.

Production: about 524,000.

Produced: 1947-1953.

Update: Sold $2,800.

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1952 Minneapolis-Moline GTC

1952 Minneapolis Moline GTC

Minneapolis-Moline was founded by the result of a merger in 1929. The brand name was discontinued in 1974 – 11 years after the company had been acquired by the White Motor Company. About the GTC:

Engine: 5.6-liter straight-four.

Production: about 1,100.

Produced: 1951-1953.

Update: Sold $2,900.

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1957 Ferguson F-40

1957 Ferguson F-40

Ferguson was a brand of tractor founded by Harry Ferguson and David Brown (they guy who owned Aston Martin) in 1934. In 1953, the company merged with Massey-Harris to form Massey-Harris-Ferguson. Massey-Ferguson survives today. The F-40:

Engine: 2.2-liter straight-four. 33 horsepower.

Production: about 9,097.

Produced: 1956-1957.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $6,000.

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1937 Oliver 70

1937 Oliver 70

Like many tractor manufacturers, Oliver was formed by the result of a merger. In their case, it was four companies that came together in 1929 to make Oliver a reality. In 1960, they were bought by the White Motor Company who discontinued the brand in 1974.

Engine: 3.3-liter straight-six. 27 horsepower.

Production: unknown.

Produced: 1935-1948.

Update: Sold $3,200.

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1957 Farmall 350

1957 Farmall 350

Farmall was a brand developed by International Harvester to target a certain market. That market was “General Purpose Tractors.” The Farmall name first appeared in 1923 (as a sub-brand of IH) and they dropped the brand in 1973. You can check out more tractors here. Here’s some info on the short-lived 350 model:

Engine: 3.2-liter straight-four. 39 horsepower.

Production: about 17,000

Produced: 1956-1958.

Update: Sold $7,500.

1937 Mercedes 230 Roadster

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1937 Mercedes-Benz 230 Cabriolet B

Offered by Coys | Essen, Germany | April 13, 2013

1937 Mercedes-Benz 230 Roadster

If you linked here from Twitter, first, thank you for the follow. Second, yes, this car is actually rarer than a Mercedes-Benz 540K – which costs at least 10 times as much as this car is expected to go for. You’re welcome for finding you the best deals on 1930s Mercedes’!

The 230 – which, in MB code is “W143” – was introduced as the 230n in 1937. It was a short-wheelbase car using a a 2.3-liter straight-six making 55 horsepower. Later that year, Mercedes switched to a long-wheelbase chassis and called the car the 230. Production lasted through 1941 and the engine continued on unchanged.

The body on this car is by Sindelfingen. It is a Cabriolet B (a four-seater with two doors). There were other convertible models available as well. Only 38 of these were built, making it far rarer than any of the 500K/540K Cabriolets. Only a handful of these are still around. This one has never been restored and shows fantastic. The pre-sale estimate is $125,000-$165,000 – a mere fraction of what you would pay for an, albeit grander, 540K. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys Essen lineup.

Update: Sold $158,500.

Bugatti 57 Ventoux

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1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1937 Bugatti Type 57 VentouxThere are more expensive and rarer Bugattis – Type 57s even – available during the auctions in Arizona. Gooding has one, in fact, but the color scheme isn’t as good as this one. That’s right, I picked this one, not for rarity, but for color. Another Atalante will come up for sale at some point and I will feature it then.

The Bugatti Type 57 was new for 1934. It featured a 3.3-liter straight-eight making 135 horsepower. Bugatti themselves bodied many of the cars, with this being the “Ventoux” two-door saloon. It was finished without running boards but has that brilliant two-color paint scheme with a bright blue inlay over black. It’s a good-looking if not sporty car that’s got all the fancy for a fraction of the price of “greater” Type 57s. In total, over 700 Type 57s were built.

This car arrived in the U.S. around 1970 and has been cared for over its life. Never having been restored – just tended to as needed – the car shows some wear, but has wonderful touches of originality that hopefully won’t go away. It has its original engine and is certainly roadworthy. It should sell for between $250,000-$325,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding.

Update: Sold $451,000.

Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

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1937 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

This is a good-looking car. It’s clean and – when you usually think of nice, big cabriolets from the 1930s, Fiat isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. So it’s a little surprising that I’m this drawn to it as it would have never occurred to me that Fiat built something this nice. When I think “Fiat from the 1930s,” I think “Topolino.”

The 1500 was introduced in 1935 and it remained in production until 1950 (of course, they took a few years off in there because of the war). This car was designed with the help of a wind-tunnel – one of the first such cars to do so. A normal 1500 sedan has a very rakish and aerodynamic grille. This car, with gorgeous coachwork from Ghia, has a more upright grille – a grille that would become standard on the series in 1940.

The engine is a 1.5-liter straight-six making 45 horsepower. Top speed was near 70 mph and 42,500 of these cars (in all body styles) were produced by the time production wrapped. The history of this car is known since the end of the war, where it found itself in South Africa. A few owners later, the car was restored. It is believed to be the only Ghia-bodied Fiat 1500 in existence. And it’s nice. The estimate is $110,000-$140,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Bonhams at Brooklands, click here.

Update: Sold $128,600.

Squire Drophead Coupe

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1937 Squire 1.5-Liter Drophead Coupe by Corsica

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2012

Remember how, in high school, you’d sit and doodle and draw the fastest imaginary car you could imagine? To be honest, it was probably atrocious (mine were) – festooned with grotesque wings and Countach-like boxy proportions.

Well, in 1931 Adrian Squire, then 21-years-old, decided he would build the dream car he wanted. He founded Squire Motors Ltd. and set out building amazing automobiles. And he did. Squire was a former employee of both Bentley and MG, so he knew what a great sports car should be.

The company was renamed in 1934 to the Squire Car Manufacturing Company and started building cars in 1935. They used a 1.5-liter inline four built by Anzani. A Roots-type supercharger was then added for a total output of 110 horsepower. The cars were exorbitantly expensive and only seven were sold by the end of 1936.

The final car was bought by a man of the name Val Zethrin (who sounds like the villain in a sci-fi movie about space). He was apparently impressed by the car and acquired the rights (and spares) of Squire. He constructed about a car per year through 1939, taking total Squire production to 10 cars. The one offered here is the first of the Val Zethrin cars, from 1937.

Adrian Squire left his company and went to work at Lagonda before ending up at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, where he was killed at age 30 during a bombing raid in WWII. The cars that bear his name remain legendary for being some of the fastest, best handling and performing road cars built prior to WWII.

1937 Squire 1½-Liter Drophead Coupe

This car features spectacular coachwork from Corsica of London which was modified slightly during restoration in the mid-1990s. The mechanicals have been freshened more recently and the car is ready to roll. Nine of the ten Squires built are still around. You won’t find one more outstanding than this.

If you want it, I hope you have deep pockets, as RM did not publish an estimate for this car. To read the entire catalog description, click here. And to see the rest of the Amelia Island lineup, click here.

Update: Sold $990,000.

1937 BMW 328

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1937 BMW 328 Roadster

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 20-21, 2012

Photo – Gooding & Company

The BMW 328 is one of the best pre-war sports cars. It has racing pedigree, superb styling and enough power from its 2.0 liter 80 horsepower straight six to make it always entertaining. Constructed from 1936 until the war halted production in 1940, a total of 463 of these gorgeous machines were built. The 328 won its class in the 1938 Mille Miglia and won the race outright in 1940.

With less than 500 of them around, they don’t come up for sale all that often. But, it’s one of those cars that, if you’re a serious collector, you just have to have one. It is the pre-war BMW to own… in fact, it’s one of very few BMWs that are incredibly collectible (the 507 and M1 both come to mind as well).

It’s just such a wonderful design – those wheels like they came off a period truck. And white, I think, is the best color. The pre-sale estimate on this car is $500,000-$650,000. Worth it. More info here with more on the auction here.

Update: Sold $517,000.