Private Collection of Tractors comes to the market with Kivells

Kivells’ Machinery Team are delighted to be hosting a unique auction offering a collection of 83 Ford Tractors owned by Philip Warren. Reputed to be one, or if not the largest, single manufacturer private collection to come to the market for several decades, this occasion is definitely one not to be missed. 

The complete dispersal of the Philip Warren’s Vintage Ford Collection of 83 tractors, plus diggers, handlers, trailers and farm machinery, will be taking place at Middlecott Farm in Beaworthy, Devon on the 4th of September 2021 from 10.30am.

77 year old Philip Warren, an avid collector, restorer and tinkerer who started buying and retaining tractors in 1989, confesses to having ‘an extreme hobby gone out of control’. His first purchase was of a Ford 5000 Select-O-Speed from a Kivells auction and, being impressed with the Ford Selecta, he focused on and acquired many more Ford tractors, with his collection now totalling an impressive 83.

Philip commented, “I have enormously enjoyed collecting, restoring and tinkering my tractors and hope the buyers at the sale will benefit in the same way I have for so many years. They still carry plenty of scope for improvement and further restoration. 

I would like to take this opportunity in thanking my family for their support and help towards the sale together with Alistair Bailey, Pete Grabham, Clint Allen and grandson Rich Colwill for all their hard work towards the preparation of the sale.”

So, why is this such a unique sale? All 83 tractors were manufactured by Ford and there are only a limited number of models, namely 35 Ford 4000’s, 31 Ford 3000’s, 10 Ford 5000’s plus Ford 7810 4wd (4500hrs), Ford 655 Special (full spec, only 1806hrs) and 4 Ford 5000 tractors in kit form. 

Kivells Director, David Kivell has known Philip all of his working career, being some 35 years. “Philip often reminds me of my first day selling cattle in Holsworthy Market with my father (Peter) stood over my shoulder and me apparently “looking terrified”!

I have had the honour of serving one of the most loyal customers being Phil, who has stuck with me through thick and thin, good and bad trades and for that I will be eternally grateful as I was when he asked me to carry out the dispersal of his collection of Ford tractors and associated parts.

When preparing for the sale back in June I attended Middlecott Farm to photograph the individual tractors and witness his grandson turning up from London and making the observation “Grandpa, I knew you had a passion but didn’t realise it was an obsession!”.

Many of you will know Philip from attending so many of our machinery sales over the years both on farm and monthly in Holsworthy to realise it’s not an obsession but an “extreme hobby gone out of control!” His passion for this hobby has made him extremely knowledgeable on this range of tractor.”

For more information about this live and online sale, which also includes a quantity of Ford tractor spares together with a range of general purpose farm machinery, visit www.kivells.com/machinery-heritage.