A VAST collection of 230 vintage tractors, dating back almost 100 years, is expected to fetch £2 million (US$3.09 million) when it goes under the hammer.

    Paul Rackman has spent 25 years traveling the world to assemble the haul of rare agricultural machines.

    The collection, thought to be one of the finest in the world, is kept in museum-like conditions in a giant grain store on Rackman’s Norfolk farm in Britain.

    The 79-year-old has splashed out thousands of pounds on the tractors, which are all in tip-top condition and in full working order.

    It includes the only surviving example of a Holt 75 — a military tractor bought by the British army from the Americans in the First World War to replace horses for pulling hulking Howitzer guns to the frontline.

    The four-cylinder tractor survived because it arrived in England after the Armistice had been signed. It was used on farms after the war but spent most of its life languishing in storage.

    After Rackham bought it in 2007 he spent £60,000 to return it to its former glory. It is now expected to sell for £250,000 at auction.

    There is also a 1941 David Brown tractor that was built for the RAF and used to haul heavy bombers and fuel bowsers into position on airfields.

    The oldest tractor in the fleet is a 1916 Saunderson Model G that was built to meet the wartime ploughing campaign. This rare survivor is tripped to sell for £65,000.

    Sticking to the military theme, there is also a 1917 Fordson Model F that was made at the request of the British Government to help meet increased food production needs during the First World War.

    One of the rarest machines in the sale is a 1925 British Wallis that was made with a flat bonnet just a year before production ceases. It is valued at £45,000.

    One of the most eye-catching tractors is a 1931 Caterpillar Fifteen which ran on tracks like a tank. The collection also consists of many well-known manufacturers names, such as John Deere, Ford and Field Marshall.

    Because of the sheer volume of tractors, the sale is being held on Rackham’s farm over two auctions by auctioneers Clarke and Simpson in conjunction with Cheffins.

    Rackham said, “My family do not share the same passion as I do in collecting tractors and the time has come in life when decisions have to be made.”

    The sale will be held at Rackham’s farm in Roundham, near Thetford, Norfolk, on Sept. 26. (SD-Agencies)