The final collective sale of vintage and classic tractors, steam engines and machinery for the year staged by Cheffins at Sutton, near Ely, saw more than 1500 lots forward with top prices paid for vintage tractors, steam engines and classic motorbikes. 
Top price was £128,000 paid for a Foden four-tonne steam wagon which dated back to 1913. Still bearing its original livery, the wagon went to the Henry Ford Museum, in Dearborn, America, in 1926 before returning to the UK in 1981 and has now been sold on to a private collector. 
Also within the steam section was a 1936 Ruston and Hornsby traction engine which was one of the final Ruston traction engines before its affiliation with Aveling Barford. The engine has been fully refurbished and was sold for £100,000. 
Similarly, a Fowler steam roller dating back to the 1920s was bought for £35,000. 
Of the 90 vintage and classic tractors on offer, the highest price achieved was £22,500 for a 1992 Ford 6640, and a County 1124 saw competitive bidding, eventually selling for £13,800 whilst a very original Massey Ferguson 35X sold for £6600.
The sale also saw 62 motorbikes go under the hammer, which peaked at £12,000 (£13,152 inc BP) paid for a 1961 650cc Triumph Bonneville, which was one of the finest examples of these models to have come to auction. 
A 1956 Triton Café Racer was another key lot which was eventually sold for £7500 (£8220 inc BP), the furious bidding was reserved for a 1977 Honda SS50 Sports moped, this nostalgia fuelled machine carried pre-sale expectations of £1200-£1400 but flew to £2200 (£2404 inc BP).
Other items of interest included a set of new performance Ford Super Major wings which made £1550 whilst a Ferguson demonstration model made £3000 and a rare Glasgow farm tractor sales leaflet was sold for £800. 
“This sale was a great way to finish what has been an incredibly busy vintage year, said Cheffins chairman, Bill King. 
“Sales throughout 2017 have seen solid prices for classic and vintage machines and shows that there is still an incredibly buoyant market with quality items with strong provenance making drawing crowds from all four corners of the UK. The steam engine collectors’ market is obviously still in full force with three of the four engines on offer being sold. 
“Interestingly, we are now seeing higher prices being made for the newer classic tractors and machinery from the 1980s and 1990s, and we forecast these to be the items to watch throughout 2018.”