A selection of vintage machinery from a bygone age will go under the hammer this month in an auction billed as the largest of its type in the country.
More than 3,000 lots – ranging from classic steam engines and vintage tractors through to specialist cars and rare motorcycles – will be included in the sale near Ely, run by Cambridgeshire-based auctioneers Cheffins.
Among the stars of the show will be a 1907 Foden Showmans steam engine, a 1909 Fowler traction engine, a 1908 Marshall traction engine and a 1933 Sentinel DG6 steam wagon. There is also a three-quarter (9') scale Taskers steam tractor and a model steam wagon 'Bitza'.
Meanwhile farming enthusiasts will be able to bid for more than 200 vintage and classic tractors, headed by a rare 1966 Doe-130.
There is also a well-restored David Brown 50D and an extremely low-houred Ford 6640, along with a 7810 and County 1174. Other makes and models include Austin, Field Marshall, Roadless, Lanz Bulldog and John Deere.
Cheffins auctioneer Oliver Godfrey said another stand-out lot was a 1970 Massey Ferguson 135 – restored in a unique livery to reflect Harry Ferguson's original 'Black Tractor' of 1933.
'The restoration has been completed to a very high standard using many new parts and close attention to detail, even down to a black enamelled manifold,' he said. 'It's certain to turn heads and is definitely a change from the usual Massey red.'
Other vehicles to go under the hammer include a 1949 Dennis Lancet Duple coach, Atkinson Weightmaster, GMC CCKW 353 Pontoon Bolster, Foden OG4/6 recovery truck, ERF 56TS 6 wheeler, Rolls Royce Shadow II and a Cadillac Calais.
Mr Godfrey said a 1966 Fiat Nuova 500F 'Cinquecento' barn find could be of particular interest to collectors and enthusiasts.
'It has an immaculate interior and is a real time-warp,' he said. 'Some restoration work is required to the exterior, but a more original example would be hard to find.'
Meanwhile, the selection of motorbikes includes a Royal Enfield Model KX, Ariel 4Gs mark one and mark two, a BSA J12 with Swallow 9D, a JAP V twin Lyclone and a Phoenix-JAP racing bike.
The Cambridge Vintage Sale takes place at The Machinery Saleground, Sutton, Ely, from 9am on April 25.
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