The Nuffield 4/65 was the last tractor designed to carry the Nuffield name. On sale from 1967 to 1969, it took the 3.8-litre BMC four-cylinder diesel of the 10/60, gave it eight overhead valves and raised output to 65 hp.
Nuffield 4/65 at a glance
| Maker | Nuffield, British Motor Corporation, later British Leyland |
|---|---|
| Production | 1967–1969 |
| Engine | 3.8-litre BMC four-cylinder diesel, eight overhead valves |
| Power | 65 hp (48 kW) |
| Based on | the 3.8-litre engine of the 10/60 |
| Range-mate | 3/45, uprated 2.8-litre three-cylinder, 45 hp |
| Colour | “Poppy Orange” |
| Successor name | Leyland Tractors from 1969 |
| New colour after 1969 | two-tone Leyland blue |
| Survival | most Nuffield versions are still in existence |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Nuffield Universal, which covers the 4/65 in its final section on the 3/45 and 4/65.
History of the Nuffield 4/65
The 4/65 appeared in 1967 as the most powerful of the Nuffield tractors, after the 10 series had given the range its ten forward gears. Its engine was the 3.8-litre BMC four-cylinder diesel already used in the 10/60, but reworked with eight overhead valves and rated at 65 hp (48 kW). Next to it in the range stood the 3/45, an uprated version of the 2.8-litre three-cylinder diesel from the 10/42, now rated at 45 hp.
The design still followed the pattern set by the Universal twenty years earlier, and the 4/65 was finished in the same Poppy Orange that Nuffield had used since 1948. That colour, and the name on the bonnet, were about to disappear: in 1968 the British Motor Holdings group merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation, which also owned Standard Triumph and Rover, to form British Leyland.
Tractor production continued under the Nuffield name until 1969, when the tractors were renamed Leyland Tractors and the poppy-red paint was replaced by Leyland’s two-tone blue corporate scheme. So the 4/65 marks the end of a line that had begun with the Universal at the Smithfield Show in 1948. British Leyland is reported to have considered selling the tractor business to David Brown, and some preparatory work was done, but nothing came of it.
Nuffield tractors proved durable, and most versions are still in existence, which says as much about the strength of the design as about the affection owners have for the marque. A 4/65 remains a common sight at British tractor rallies and working days, where the Poppy Orange paint makes it easy to pick out among the later blue Leylands.
Design and features
- 65 hp from 3.8 litres: the uprated BMC four-cylinder with eight overhead valves.
- Top of the range: the most powerful Nuffield tractor when it was introduced in 1967.
- Last of the name: the final model sold as a Nuffield before the 1969 switch to Leyland.
- Poppy Orange: the Nuffield colour of 1948–1969, replaced by two-tone blue afterwards.
Nuffield 4/65 versions
- 4/65 (1967–1969): 3.8-litre four-cylinder, 65 hp, the most powerful Nuffield.
- 3/45 (1967–1969): three-cylinder range-mate, 2.8-litre, 45 hp.
The 4/65 was the last of the line that began with the Nuffield Universal and continued through the four-cylinder models. Its engine came from the 10/60, and more tractors are in the Nuffield collection.
Video: Nuffield 4/65
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Nuffield Universal, English Wikipedia: 4/65 engine and power, 3/45, British Leyland merger, Leyland rename
