Third time lucky for Massey collector with passion and patience

Third time lucky for Massey collector with passion and patience

Persistence paid off for Hampshire’s John Burdfield and his partner Sally Ennor, who took home a hat-trick of prizes at this year’s Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show.

It was their third time exhibiting at Newark, but the first win; a milestone that capped six years of hard work restoring an extraordinary fleet of Massey Ferguson tractors.

At the show, the judges singled out the couple’s 1964 Massey 65 Multipower Half Track as the best restored tractor, and a tandem Massey 35 from the same year.

With three lorry loads, John and Sally brought a total of 13 machines to the show for the weekend and were also rewarded with the best collection at the event.

John’s collection now stands at 33 machines, each one meticulously sourced and restored. His aim was to assemble a complete range of four-wheel-drive 100 Series Masseys with models such as the 135, 148 and 165. But over time the collection has grown to include everything from early 35s to rare international imports.

“They’ve come from all over,” John said. “A couple from Denmark, one from France, a 1250 from Sweden, a 135 from the Netherlands, and a few from Ireland.” Many arrived in poor condition, but that was part of the appeal. His first restoration, a Massey 188 found in Spain, was what he calls “a real basket case”

Yet it set the standard for everything that followed. “That first one took me a long time,” he said. “It was blood, sweat and tears, but it got me hooked. Once I’d painted that, I had to paint the rest.”

It has been a joint effort with his partner, Sally, who scours the internet for hidden gems, sometimes in the small hours morning.

He said: “She’ll wake me up at one in the morning saying ‘I’ve found one’. Then before I know it, we’re on a plane to France to go and buy it.”

One memorable trip saw the pair fly to Lyon, hire a van and drive 270 kilometres north to collect a tractor before returning to Hampshire the next evening.

John’s collection now fills a large shed back home, where he and Sally run a log business. The tractors are a passion project rather than a profession, but the social aspect of attending shows such as Newark makes it part of their lifestyle.

“It’s nice to be recognised at a show like Newark,” he said. “The judges really know their stuff, and it means something when they appreciate what you’ve done.”

After three years of showing, his persistence and craftsmanship finally earned the top spot, proof that it really was third time lucky.