Donington Auctions
The John & Sue Illingworth Collection of Vintage Tractors & Machinery - 286 lots
The John & Sue Illingworth Collection of Vintage Tractors & Machinery
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Auction House:
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Reference:#160
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Description:DONINGTON'S INTRODUCTION:
John and Sue Illingworth’s unique collection consisting of over 150 vintage tractors and machinery to be offered at auction in Three Springs, Western Australia on 25th September 2022. This collection was created by husband-and-wife team, Sue and the late John Illingworth.
This remarkable collection was assembled over 50-years, with a highlight being the first commercially produced tractor in the world, the 1904 Ivel Agricultural Motor Tractor. This tractor is one of only 9 known in existence, with other examples scattered around the globe, including one in the Science Museum in London. Our example, being number ‘352’ is recognised as the 7th oldest commercially produced tractor in the world, and one of the most original. In October 2019 a similar Ivel owned by doyen of the marque, the late John Moffit, was sold for a world record price of £328,600.
John Illingworth was one of the first people in his UK district to apply for a tractor for ploughing, which was still carried by horses at the time.
John was originally from Clitheroe, Lancashire and emigrated to Western Australia in 1969 , where he established a sheep and wheat farm near Arrino, in the Three Springs region. (On marrying in 1978, Sue emigrated from Yorkshire to join him.)
John’s love of tractors & vintage machinery only grew, and it soon became a shared passion of John and Sue spending weekends searching for tractors that had been decommissioned years earlier and were languishing in barns, sheds and even fields. Sometimes, this even included tractors needing excavation by hand as they had sunk into the wet fields and were left abandoned.
On one occasion Sue recalls ‘they were invited to collect a tractor out of a farmer’s shed, that turned out to be packed to the brim with rubbish and debris built up over years. Having removed most of the back of the shed and chained the only part of the tractor they could reach, they were surprised to pull out an unrestored and rare Munktell tractor!’
John and Sue’s collection grew to such an extent, that they constructed a ‘Supershed’ to house the collection on the farm, and built up a reputation amongst the vintage tractor community. The shed also houses other curiosities including a 1928 Dennis Fire Engine and even a WWII Stuart M3 Fort Knox Military Tank.
John took great pleasure in restoring and re-commissioning the tractors back to their former glory. He was highly motivated, and even at his passing at age 92 still had numerous tractors in-line to be restored!
Sue has decided it’s time for the collection to be passed onto new custodians, with the hope that the new owners will get as much enjoyment from them as they have.
ABOUT THIS AUCTION:
This auction is in a combination timed and live format, meaning that you can leave pre-bids for items prior to the auction (pre-bidding opens from 10am on 19th September), and then it will become a live auction which commences at 10.30am (ACWST) on 25th September.
Bidders can attend the auction in person, or you can watch the auction which will be live-streamed, and bidders can participate via telephone, absentee or computer. To bid online, go to: https://online.doningtonauctions.com.au/m/view-auctions/info/id/99
Please remember to allow time to register, so don't leave your bidding to the last minute ! In fact, we recommend that you register to bid a minimum of 24 hours prior to the auction.
If you are intending to bid by telephone, please note that while this option is available, it is subject to limited availability due to the location of the auction. For either telephone or absentee bidding, you will need to complete the requisite bidding form and email it to the auction house at mail@doningtonauctions.com.au. The bidding forms can be downloaded from the following addresses (please copy into your browser):
Absentee Bidding: https://www.doningtonauctions.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Absentee-Bidding-Form.pdf
Telephone Bidding: https://www.doningtonauctions.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Telephone-Bidding-Form.pdf
Donington Auctions have copious images for each lot in Dropbox, (address: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gwf2hctv54veil2v4ayz5/h?dl=0&rlkey=m1kyycmw6ma3t5ih9vmg2dx1p - please copy into your browser) where you will find images for each lot in a numbered subfolder. We reiterate our advice for all auctions in the event of you being unable to view the items in which you are interested, which is that we encourage you to request a condition report. To do this, use the "Ask a Question" button on left hand side of the page of the lot in which you are interested (this enquiry will go directly to the auction house), or contact the auction house by:
* phoning - (03) 9882 1433 or
* emailing - mail@doningtonauctions.com.au
There is no additional fee for online bidding, so remember that the only added cost to your bid is the buyer's premium, which for this sale is 13.75% for all lots. -
Sale(s):25 Sep 2022 ~ 10.30am (ACWST)
362 Mildlands Road
Three Springs, WA 6519 Australia -
Viewing:23 Sep 2022 ~ 9.30am - 4.30pm
362 Mildlands Road
Three Springs, WA 6519
Australia
24 Sep 2022 ~ 9.30am - 4.30pm
362 Mildlands Road
Three Springs, WA 6519
Australia
25 Sep 2022 ~ 9am - 10am
362 Mildlands Road
Three Springs, WA 6519
Australia
Prices realised in this sale include buyers premium of 13.750%.
