The world's first ‘tractor'

An Ivel Agricultural Motor, the first lightweight petrol-powered tractor manufactured on a commercial scale, recently sold for an eye-watering sum at auction. Kevin Alviti delves into its fascinating past

IN OCTOBER an Ivel Agricultural Motor was put up for auction, causing quite a stir. Machines like this come up for sale around once in a lifetime and so it attracted plenty of attention. In the end, when the hammer fell, a buyer pledged to pay an eyewatering £328,600. Luckily for the tractor and industrial history fans, the 1903 Ivel will be staying in the UK, although said buyer wishes to remain anonymous.

So what’s all the fuss about? This vehicle in particular, No 131, is believed to be the oldest working tractor in the world. It’s not often that you come across a machine that predates the word that was coined to describe it, but the Ivel Agriculture Motor was so-called because the term ‘tractor’ hadn’t come into common parlance when it was rolling off the production line.