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I saw the prototype Chevrolet Tractor in the swap meet area at Bowling Green. I was told on Wednesday that the owner was denied the opportunity to display it on the show field. Does anyone know if this is true?

Mike

The only things I can think of is it wasn't a registered participant in the meet or didn't have the required fire extinguisher or something of that sort. Hopefully someone can answer the question.

The story I was told is that they said to him, it was neither a car nor a truck, and therefore would not be allowed on the field.

Mike

If that were the case the officials made a dreadful mistake in my opinion. There were do not judge vehicles on the field. They were there for display purposes. The prototype tractor with Chevrolet six cylinder engine is a vehicle that could be driven on public roads, represented Chevrolet history and could have educated all that saw it.

Did the owner have with him any printed material from GM (e.g ad, owners manual etc.) that would prove that the tractor was indeed a creation from GM's Chevrolet division? If so, I feel it should at least been given space on the display field somewhere to be shown as a product of Chevrolet. If he had nothing to prove the tractor was manufactured by Chevrolet, then i would agree with the decision of the judges.

I first read of the tractor in a collector tractor publication. I believe e it was also written about in the G and D. I think the Chevrolet connection is well documented. If so, it would be as rare as a Chevy could get, 1 of 1.
Like Chipper, I will be very disappointed if I find that the owner was denied access to the display area of the show field.

Mike

The owner of the1946 tractor in question was offered the opportunity to have the tractor placed next to the judging field and to be displayed on Tuesday August 2, 2022 at the 60th Anniversary Meet in Bowling Green.
As the 60th Anniversary Meet Chairperson, I spoke by phone with the current tractor owner 3 times in the several months prior to the 60th Anniversary Meet. Each of our conversations was up to 1 hour each time. The major ask of the current owner was that this "1 of 1" farm tractor was so rare, that it should be judged. The current owner stated that he does not have any documentation as to any history related to this tractor. The current owner does know a story which has been handed down over the years that this was a possible candidate to be a prototype to be a Chevrolet tractor in 1946. The story goes that another individual in Kentucky was given a Chevrolet drivetrain from either a 1 ton or 1.5 ton 1946 Chevrolet truck and this guy was told to build a prototype tractor for Chevrolet. Upon completion of this tractor prototype, the story is told that Chevrolet turned the person down and decided not to build a Chevrolet farm tractor. Fast forward, many many years, when the current tractor owner purchased the tractor. The tractor was sitting outside for many years and the 1946 engine was frozen, so the current tractor owner secured another Chevrolet engine. With no official paperwork, no traceable serial number, no Chevrolet bow-tie anywhere on the tractor of any kind and with no one with direct first hand knowledge of this tractor's history, it makes it difficult to place this on the judging field and to then have it judged. Each time that I spoke with the owner, he asked me to have it placed on the judging field and to be judged in Bowling Green.
I encouraged him multiple times to contact the VCCA National Judging Committee and to make his case that this tractor in deed was #1, was authentic, #2, was an original prototype that was commissioned by Chevrolet and #3 that Chevrolet indeed did turn down this farm tractor as a product to be produced by Chevrolet. I let him know that the VCCA National Judging Committee is the proper group in the VCCA to evaluate this potential prototype. As the Anniversary Meet Chairperson, it is not my job to tell the Judging Committee what to do.
Each time that I spoke with the current owner, he firmly asked that this tractor should be judged on the show field. His rationale was that he has gone to other local shows which have included both cars, trucks and tractors. As I stated to the owner, as of this point in time, the VCCA does not judge tractors.
Let me end by saying again. The owner of this1946 farm tractor was offered by me the opportunity to have this tractor placed next to the judging field on Tuesday August 2nd. To be on display, but not judged.
If this indeed is an authentic prototype, it deserves full investigation by the VCCA and a place in our history as a Chevrolet club.
Dave Miner
VCCA # L28873
60th Anniversary Meet Chair

And now we have the other side of the story.

Thanks Dave for the explanation on the tractor owner being offered a place to display his tractor. Apparently he didn't appreciate the offer. There were others that did display their meet registered Chevrolets and GMCs in an area adjacent to those being judged.

I appreciated that the owner did take the time and effort to bring the tractor so VCCA members and the public could see it and be told the story.

Thanks, Dave, for taking the time to tell us the complete story. My take now is that the present owner lacks any paperwork connecting the tractor to GM and wants "hearsay" evidence to stand. I believe he should work through channels to see if somewhere in GM's historical files there is any mention of plans to launch a tractor line. It may well have been discussed among the top brass as Ford was making lots of money with their N line of tractors. Somewhere there must be some records of those discussions if they did occur, and of the first prototype if it did make it to the evaluation stage.

The only way to verify the story is thru documentation. Contacting the GM Heritage Center or enlisting a variety of other official channels with Chevrolet could be used to determine whether the story is an urban legand or is factual. Verifying the authenticity of this tractor is above my pay grade.

Dave,
Thanks for the clarification.

Mike