The April 2014 edition of Irish Vintage Scene (Issue 95) is on sale now, and as usual is packed with a wide variety of interesting features. On the cover this month is a true rarity: an original Irish Hillman Minx Californian Coupe. Rescued from decades spent lying in a disused mill in Sligo, it’s been restored to perfection and is now owned by a childhood fan of the model whose father drove an identical car in the late fifties. Moving further into the magazine we take a look at a stunning Citroen Traction Avant, of one of the most revolutionary saloon cars of its time, and we mark the fiftieth anniversary of the rare and beautiful Gordon-Keeble GT sports car. Our tractor features this month focus on two very different machines.
Our main feature looks at the impeccable restoration in Galway of a concours-standard Massey Ferguson 135, complete with a cab fabricated just for the job; this amazing machine has been rebuilt to the highest standards in order to take on the best at the big tractor show in Malvern in the UK. Our second feature tractor is even smaller than the compact 135; this OTA garden tractor has been in its current ownership for about thirty years, but as these things often go, its restoration has only been completed in the last two years. Powered by a sidevalve engine from a Baby Ford car and featuring its original accessory OTA plough, it’s garnered much attention whenever it’s been shown.