On Saturday 3rd July 2021 at the Shrubbs Farm Collection Sale hosted by Cheffins, this 1983 County 1474 sold for an eye watering £196,000 under the hammer. And that price doesn’t include the 6% buyers premium or any VAT, making the total bill to be around £250,000. 

The bids started around £50,000 and kept climbing, however at the £115,000 mark the bids stopped and that looked to be the end of it, and then a bid of £120,000 came through online and the bids started climbing once again.

The 1474 cost £20,597 in 1982, which in todays money is £74,339.48 with an inflation rate of 3.4% over the last 37 years, which was a massive outlay at the time. Few were sold on the home market, and it is believed that the original company, which went into receivership in February 1983, built less than 40.

After the company was reformed under David Gittins’s ownership as County Tractors Ltd, the 1474 was revamped to take advantage of the new Ford TW-25 skid unit, launched in March 1983, which upped the power to 163hp. At the same time, the model was re-styled to match its more powerful 1884 sibling with the same ‘Long Nose’ bonnet hiding the oil cooler and a larger fuel tank. This 1474 was purchased by the Liddell family second hand in 1993 from a farm in North Ockendon, Upminster and joined another 1474 at Shrubbs Farm, the latter was sold some years ago.

This 1474 entered early retirement and has subsequently only completed around 100 hours in the past 25 years, and was supplied by Ernest Doe & Sons Ltd, Rochford, Essex all those years ago.

Watch the video here:

All pictures and videos courtesy of Cheffins.