Tractors – and cars – are usually designed to be driven by men, so it’s somewhat surprising to find one that was specifically created with women in mind. It’s perhaps even more surprising that it was made some 85 years ago, in 1939. It’s the David Brown VAK1 – the first tractor to be completely designed and built by the Yorkshire-based manufacturer.

According to tractor enthusiast Dick Burr, the story goes that David – who later went on to buy Aston Martin and create the DB series of sportscars – asked Henry Ford to design him a tractor, having fallen out with Harry Ferguson. Henry declined, but said that, with war looming, women would be the tractor drivers in the coming years. And thus, the concept became the VAK1, with its wide seat suited for two and pedals on the right rather than astride the transmission; nicknamed the Lady’s Tractor.

Dick, who has nine classic tractors at home near Chesterfield, including a Field Marshall and some Fordsons, bought his 1943 VAK1 unseen at an auction in mid-Wales. “I bought it with a Fordson Major and a few other bits, and didn’t really know what I was getting.” Upon collection, he learnt more of its history – the previous owner had been advised to get a hobby by his doctor in order to give up his 200-a-day cigarette habit. He and his wife had bought the tractor and restored it, exhibiting at places like the Royal Show.

“When I bought it I did a lot more work on it – I refreshed the steering, brakes and tyres and retuned the engine, all little improvements while keeping it original,” he says. “My wife Barbara and I do a lot of road runs in it – it’ll do 25mph if you can hold onto the steering!”

What Dick hadn’t realised that his family already had a history with the VAK1. “My mother’s side are all farmers, and recently my sister showed me a photo of my mother, aged 19 or 20, sitting on a VAK1 which her father owned – I never even knew the photo existed. My grandfather had been a deputy at the colliery and managed to save up to buy a farm – he had three sons and a daughter and they all ended up with separate farms.”

While some of the series were built to be very basic, they were still revolutionary for their time, producing 35hp from a four-cylinder water-cooled engine designed to run on either petrol or tractor vaporising oil. They had four forward gears and one reverse, with a hand-operated throttle – and Dick’s model was an upgrade with full electrics, making starting far easier than requiring a physical crank.

“The front grills were usually cast iron, but during the war metal was in demand, so mine features a lighter, perforated steel grill – some call it a bullet hole grill but its proper name is an austerity grill,” says Dick, who was a diesel engine fitter before he retired. “Out of all my tractors it’s my favourite – it’s just absolutely brilliant.”

• Save the date – next year’s event will be on the 8th and 9th November 2025 • For more information visit www.newarkvintagetractorshow.com