From school playing fields, small farms and market gardens and even to domestic homes with paddocks, one will have come across the little grey Fergie beavering away at mowing, ploughing or using a range of accessories made available to ease the tasks in hand.

Designed by Harry Ferguson, it was produced in the UK from 1946 to 1956, although Ferguson tractors were available long before, thanks to an agreement with Henry Ford to produce them in Detroit and import thousands to help in the war effort.

The small size made for an extremely versatile agricultural vehicle and the TE20 featured the Ferguson invention of the hydraulic three-point hitch system, which revolutionised the automatic coupling of farm implements and became a global standard for tractors in general.

The mighty draft horse could rest at last.

Many grey Fergies are still in use and collectors enthusiastically restore them for shows and indeed to use them where possible.

The Standard Motor Company actually built the UK...