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His ‘59 Massey Is A Hot Rod
Paul Burham built a customized, supercharged, incredibly loud and amazingly fast Massey tractor for the most unlikely client. Ardbeg Distilling on the Isle of Islay off Scotland commissioned the tractor to promote the 200th anniversary of their single malt scotch whiskey, which has been in commercial production since 1815. Burham, the owner of Burham Autos in the U.K., has been building iconic hot rods since 1981.
A spokesperson for Ardbeg says the company chose a custom tractor because tractors played an important role in producing and harvesting grains in the company’s early years. Plus, they wanted something unusual to celebrate 200 years of brewing the same Scotch.
The tractor is a classic 1959 Massey Ferguson 35, which Burham stripped down and completely rebuilt. He fitted it with a 546-hp., 8.2-liter, supercharged V-8 engine. It produces 604 lb./ft. of torque. Weighing 4,000 lbs., the tractor has rear wheels that are 4 1/2 ft. tall.
The Ardbeg branding was incorporated into the overall style for colors and details. Burnham sprayed the tractor with Ardbeg Green paint accented with gold, stunning metalwork and hand detailing. 
Ardbeg used the tractor to promote its stellar Scotch whiskey around the world. It toured several countries, including the U.S. A promotional video showed the tractor racing against an open-wheeled race car (www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYDAHfay2CU).
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ardbeg Distillery, Port Ellen, Islay PA42 7EA, Scotland (www.ardbeg.com).


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2024 - Volume #48, Issue #6