To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Fiat tractor, New Holland has created ‘Fiat Centenario Limited Edition’ versions of current (production) tractors.
The commemorative tractors will be available in six utility, specialist and crawler models – namely the T5.120 EC, T5.115 (pictured above), T4.110F with cab (pictured below), T4.110LP ROPS, T4.110FB ROPS and TK4.110 ROPS.
These have “specially-designed liveries and decals that incorporate elements of the Fiat tractor heritage”.
The first Fiat tractor
The first Fiat tractor rolled off the assembly line in 1918 – 100 years ago.
The Model 702 (pictured below) was developed to address the labour shortage in farming as World War I reached its final stages.
It was developed to be coupled to static and moving equipment; it was home to a four-cylinder engine, rear-wheel-drive, a steering front axle and rigid rear axle – a somewhat unusual configuration at the time.
Breaking the trend
The Model 702 also broke with established design trends by adopting the approach of the Fordson tractor, which had a load-bearing powertrain – thus eliminating the need for a chassis.
However, it differed from the Fordson machine – arguably designed for the loose soil and largely level fields of North America – in that it was more powerful and intended for the difficult soil and sometimes-sloping fields of Europe.
After a bout of in-field testing, Model 702 was presented to the Italian authorities on August 14, 1918. This, claims New Holland, was the official debut of one of the most iconic tractors in agriculture.
It made an immediate impact, by winning its first ploughing match. The following year, Fiat signed supply agreements and embarked on the production of 1,000 tractors.
The first mass-produced Fiat tractor was thus born. Interestingly, the last 110-90 Tradition model was launched in 2002.
