Ferguson TEA Tractor Red

Ferguson TEA Tractor Red

After the war Standard had a large empty factory in Banner Lane, Coventry, which was standing idle, it had been making aero engines. Sir John Black, Standard's managing director, agreed with Harry Ferguson to manufacture tractors for him. The TE20 (TE = Tractor England) was the result and first came off the production line on the 6 July 1946.

The little grey Fergie as it became known was a milestone, not only for Ferguson but agriculture in general. Earlier versions used an imported American engine, but soon a 2088 cc unit, that had been developed for the Standard Vanguard, became available and was fitted instead from July 1948.

By 1956 a total of 517,651 (including variants) had been built. This was a sign of its great popularity and even today many TE20s are still in use.