Posted on 5th Nov
Rare exhibits and landmark anniversaries will take centre stage at this weekend’s Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show.
Event organisers the Newark & Notts Agricultural Society (NNAS) is calling on enthusiasts and families to book their last-minute tickets ahead of what promises to be one of the standout heritage events of the year.
Over 1,000 pieces of machinery are being shown by enthusiasts to a crowd exceeding 10,000 people.
Alongside the diverse array of tractors, commercial vehicles, and stationary engines will be a whole host of trade stands and food stalls.
Vehicles, implements, and parts will be sold off as part of Saturday’s auction, and a Sunday Sortout will give owners the opportunity to buy and sell parts which are too good to scrap.
Remembrance Day will also be marked with a traditional service on Sunday morning.
This year’s show is packed with milestone celebrations, from Caterpillar’s 100th anniversary to 80 years of the Fordson Major E27N and the Field Marshall Series One.
It’s also 60 years of Cummins engines and six decades since the first imports of Zetor equipment into the UK.
The show will reflect on one of the most defining moments in tractor industry history: the 40th anniversary of Case’s takeover of International Harvester.
Philip Ponton, who worked for International Harvester at the time and later continued his career with Case IH, says the significance of the change cannot be overstated: “The main feeling at the time of the takeover was shock. It was a buyout with worldwide consequences,” he said. “Our immediate thoughts were about what was going to happen to the Doncaster factory where the International Harvesters were made. It was eventually divested as part of the takeover to Landini, which went on to produce McCormick tractors there.”
He expects many former IH and Case staff and supporters to gather at Newark. “There are lots of people involved in the Case IH Club who will be coming down to Newark this weekend,” he added. “I expect there will be some good stories about the history of the company. There will be no shortage of machines for people to see on the stand too.”
Eye-catching commercial vehicles on show will include a rare Ford D Series Chinese Six, marking 60 years since its launch.
Believed to be the only original surviving example of its type in the UK, the 1980 twin-steer lorry belongs to Hertfordshire enthusiast Brian Gardner.
Originally used by Tetley Brewery in Hull, the lorry had passed through several owners and was in poor condition when Brian acquired it in 2017. Rather than settle for patch repairs, he and his family stripped it down to the chassis and rebuilt it piece by piece.
“It had been partly done, but I wanted a full restoration,” says Brian. “I stripped it right back to the chassis, rebuilt the engine, replaced the body, brakes and tyres, and fitted a new cab that I sourced from Dorset. My boys, my wife and my father-in-law all helped. It’s really been a family restoration.”
The result is a striking and authentic survivor that will appear on the Fordson Club stand and is expected to be one of the talking points of the weekend.
The NNAS says the show’s appeal lies not only in the machines but in the community and stories behind them.
Chief executive Simon Eccleston said: “If you want to experience mechanical history up close and hear first-hand stories from those who lived it, Newark is the place to be this weekend.”
Gates open both days at Newark Showground. Children aged 16 and under enter free. Tickets sales are online at www.newarkvintagetractorshow.com.
