Outwardly, it looked very different from the MF35X it replaced, with more contemporary and sharply-styled new bodywork, although traditional, shell-type mud guards were retained on the earliest models. Here in the UK, those two models got transformed into the MF135 and MF165 respectively, and were launched – together with the brand new MF175 model – at the 1964 Smithfield Show, in London.Īlthough there was a smaller, MF130 model created for the French market, the 135 was the entry-level machine in the UK, and was an instant success. Building on the sales and performance successes of the MF35X and MF65 MkII models, the 100 Series was intended to create a whole new, modern image for the domestic tractor market around the world. Massey Ferguson’s introduction of the 100 Series tractors – named The Red Giants by the marketing men – represented a very important development for the company. Wheels became all-silver from late 1965 onwards (apart from the PAVT-type examples).
The Massey Ferguson 135: Early versions, like this 1965 example, featured rounded mudguards and red wheel centres, but the latter didn’t last long as the factory soon decided the two-tone effect was a cosmetic extravagance.
