A farmer is selling Britain’s biggest collection of tractors - 83 vintage farm vehicles he has kept in his fields for decades.

Phillip Warren, 77, has amassed an impressive collection of over 80 vintage Ford tractors since buying his very first one in 1989.

His farm, Middlecott Farm in Beaworthy, Devon, is a sea of colour where all of his vehicles are parked in rows.

But now, following a heart attack earlier this year that saw Phillip hospitalised, the veteran farmer has decided to part ways with almost his entire collection.

Phillip will bid farewell to 83 of his Ford tractors in a single auction run by Kivells auctioneers, at Middlecott Farm, on Saturday (Sept 4).

It is believed to be the largest Ford collection from a single vendor in the UK in decades.

And fittingly, Phillip will be selling his tractor collection under the same auctioneers where he bought his very first farm vehicle, a Ford 5000 Select-O-Speed, in 1989.

Speaking of the decision to finally sell his beloved collection, father-of-four Phillip said he "did a lot of thinking" whilst he spent three weeks in Barnstaple Hospital in March this year.

He told a local newspaper: "I decided that I needed to sort the tractors out, because it wouldn’t be fair to leave it to my daughters should the worst happen to me.

"I said to them, on the one occasion they were allowed to visit, ’I’m going to have a sale when I get out of hospital’. They just looked at me and said ’Of course you are, dad’."

Phillip’s self-proclaimed tractor "obsession" really began in 1991, after he suffered a family tragedy when his only son Andrew took his own life on the family farm, aged just 22.

He told Kivells: "After that, this tractor hobby grew into an obsession. And now here we are, with 80-odd tractors."

Phillip now lives alone at Middlecott Farm - as his three grown-up daughters have all moved away and got married, and his wife Kath passed away in 2019, following a series of mini strokes in 2014.

His collection going up for auction includes 35 Ford 4000s, 31 Ford 3000s, and ten Ford 5000s, as well as four more Ford 5000 tractors in kit form, and a large variety of Ford spare parts.

The collection also includes a four-wheel drive Ford 7810, a full spec Ford 655 Special, two Ford 13-6 diggers, a New Holland 525 forage harvester, two Collins six-tonne silage trailers - and more.

All tractors have been fitted with new 622 commercial batteries, ready for the sale.

Phillip, who is still actively farming with around 70-head of beef cattle over 180 acres, confesses to "never buying anything without seeing it".

And all of his tractor deals have been done within the confines of the South West, with Dorset being the furthest afield he has ever travelled to buy a tractor.

Speaking to Kivells, Phillip said: "The majority of these tractors came here as non-runners, hence why there are a lot of tractors with reconditioned engines.

"I have tried my best to be as honest and straightforward over these tractors as I can when getting them ready for the auction, especially the Select-O-Speeds.

"I’m sure anyone who knows about Select-O-Speeds knows that they are a bit of a Marmite thing, you either love them or hate them, and the gearboxes can be a bit unpredictable.

"I have tried my best to test all the Select-O-Speed gearboxes, and what I have found has gone in the catalogue, so any prospective buyers will be getting what they’re told.

"Please come down to the auction and feel you have confidence in what you are seeing."

He added: "I don’t think the sale will be an emotional day as I’m 110 per cent sure that I’m doing the right thing. Life will go on without the tractors."

But Phillip will not be parting with every one of his tractors, as he is keeping a couple of favourites back - including his very first 5000 Select-O-Speed, purchased from Kivells in 1989.

A spokesperson for Kivells said: "To our knowledge, there has been no other sale like this in the UK for decades.

"It is very, very rare to get a collection like this from a single vendor - and that’s really the beauty of this sale."

And Kivells director, David Kivell, has known Phillip since the farmer bought his very first tractor from the auctioneers, 32 years ago.

Speaking to a local newspaper, David said: "Many of you will know Phillip from attending so many of our machinery sales over the years, both on farm and monthly in Holsworthy, to realise it’s not an obsession but an ’extreme hobby gone out of control’.

"His passion for this hobby has made him extremely knowledgeable on this range of tractors."

The auction will be held both online and in person.

Depending on the weather, the tractors will from 10.30am either be sold as they stand outside or undercover in a drive-through style auction.

Catering will be provided throughout the day and there is plenty of level car parking.

All of the lots, which also include a large variety of Ford spares and a range of general purpose farm machinery, can be viewed ahead of the sale on Thursday, September 2 or Friday, September 3, from 10am until 4pm.