True Colors

When the machinery was shipped to Cork, Ireland, to build the Irish models, some reports suggest that the first Fords produced there had gray bodies with black wheels. The response was apparently negative, and the decision was made to revert to red wheels. But when the English Ford N came out of the plant at Dagenham, England, in 1932, a new scheme was unveiled: dark blue body with orange wheels.

That color scheme continued until 1938, when the decision was made to paint the tractors (body and wheels) yellow-orange. During the early years of World War II, however, the bright-color Fordsons were easy targets for German bombers. The decision was quickly made to paint all British Fordsons (new and old) green. The camouflage worked: The tractors blended in with the countryside and further tractor losses were minimized.

After hostilities ceased, Fordson returned briefly to the pre-war scheme of blue body and orange wheels, until 1953, when the Fordson Major Diesels were introduced. On that model, the body was light blue and the wheels were light orange. Finally, until the end of Fordson production, the wheels became the light gray of the Ford tractors of the same years. Actually, the Fordson Super Major of 1964 was the same color as the Ford 5000.

Today, collectible Fordsons are subject to the whims of their owners. Some, collected by purists, are shown in their correct colors. Other collectors, less bound by convention, adopt different palettes. Either way, one has to admit that these Fordsons in non-standard colors are pretty!

- Jack Heald is national director of the Fordson Tractor Club. Contact him at 250 Robinson Road, Cave Junction, OR 97523; (541) 592-3203.