history

David Brown Tractors Group, personally controlled since its institution by David Brown, ventured into tractor production in a joint project with Harry Ferguson. Out of this project, the Ferguson-Brown tractor was born. David Brown went on to become one of the largest British tractor manufacturers post-war. Founders Brown and Ferguson disagreed over tractor design details in the late 1930s. As a result, David Brown designed his own version, the VAK1 in secret. The VAK1 was launched at the Royal Show in 1939. Consequently, Ferguson left Brown and joined Henry Ford in 1938. Tractor sales slumped due to a worldwide recession and inevitably, the company was sold to Tenneco.