Bucketload of Benz

A piece of Australian agricultural history went to auction recently. Harrison Hunkin reports on a rare chance for buyers to get their hands on a 1925 Benz Sendling

There is certainly interest that is well and truly in excess of the previous auction’s results.

When an extremely rare 1925 Benz-Sendling tractor went up for auction one week before Farms & Farm Machinery hit newsstands, it wasn’t just another antique for sale – it was a slice of Aussie farming history. It won’t find itself on display at a European museum or end up under covers in an American barn. Instead, it will be staying put in the country it has called home for nearly 100 years in the collection of a lucky Australian. That’s because the Australian government has determined that this extremely rare piece of machinery is of tremendous significance to Australian agriculture, and therefore must remain here, Down Under.

OLD-TIMER

It’s a tractor with one hell of a story, arriving in Western Australia from Germany just in time for the Perth Royal Show back in 1925. It’s believed to have then passed between a few local farmers’ hands before ending up in the possession of the late vintage tractor collector Norm Bates. It’s safe to say that, when Bates found the machine, it had seen better days. The cam shaft had seized, the fenders, radiator and the clutch had been removed and the head had been off the tractor for five years. With little to no trade experience it took Bates two years to fully restore the tractor – a decision that proved to be worth the time and effort, with the machine winning the 1986 Best Restored award by the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia. Bates passed away in 2011, aged 86, and his 750-lot strong collection of farm machinery was subsequently put up for auction in 2013. Among the collection was the 1925 BenzSendling tractor, which sold for over $100,000; a price Manheim Auctions was hoping to beat as FFM went to press. “Based on feedback from some of the potential buyers, there is certainly interest that is well and truly in excess of the previous auction’s results,” says Manheim Auctions business development manager Richard McNicol. The decision to auction off the Benz-Sendling tractor again comes after the current owners’ near eight-year battle to try and get it back to Germany. However, their attempts were unsuccessful due to the Australia’s Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986, which prevents objects of cultural significance to Australia being exported without permission.

IMPRESSIVE PEDIGREE

Such is the uniqueness of the machine and the historical ties it has to the Mercedes-Benz brand, the auction is also likely to draw more than just tractor enthusiasts. Why? Because it’s a Benz-Sendling tractor, the joint venture between former German engine-maker Sendling (Motor factory Munich-Sendling) – one of Germany’s first motor factories – and Benz & Cie, the manufacturing company that eventually merged with Daimler to create the iconic Mercedes-Benz we know today. It is also one of the only known tractors of its kind in the world. If that’s not impressive enough, the Benz-Sendling may have been a changing force in farm machinery as Benz claims that the three-wheeled variant of this machine is the world’s first diesel-powered tractor. Shortly after, Benz-Sendling developed the four-wheeled variant we see here – a machine that inspired the more conventional-looking tractor that we’ve come to know. Spec-wise the Benz-Sendling pushes out an approximate 30–34 horsepower (22–25kW) at 800rpm from its aluminium engine block. It has cast iron dry liners, cast iron pistons, a three-speed gearbox and a sprung front axle and a diff lock; impressive considering its age. McNicol, who is also acting as the item’s auctioneer, says he hasn’t come across anything quite like it. “I’ve come across some old dozers before, and again that really opened my eyes, but I wasn’t even aware that people collected these sorts of things and love all of their little secret treasure troves.” So, the potential buyer is looking at a piece of automotive history? McNicol thinks so. “We have appealed to various market segments. Those that are engine collectors, those that are curious about Mercedes-Benz, as well as your traditional tractor enthusiast. It has certainly appealed to a broader market that’s for sure,” he says. “It’s a piece of history, the fact it has survived so long and has been so well looked after is incredible.” “It’s an honour to sell something so old. It’s not every day that you get to see these types of machines come up for auction and, so far, the interest in the tractor has been energetic.”

Above: This Benz-Sendling tractor is a rare example of a joint venture between two German manufacturers – Sendling and Benz & Cle – before being shipped to Australia in 1925