This is a clay model of the 1939 9N Ford tractor. “This tractor could make a story in and of itself,” explains Gregorie. “The problem was, was it going to be called the Ferguson tractor or the Ford tractor with the Ferguson System? The debate kept going back and forth between Henry Ford and Harry Ferguson. To hedge our bet, we had two sets of name plates made for the clay model. When the old man (Henry) came up to see it, why, we put the Ford name plate on it, and when Ferguson came in, we put the Ferguson name on it. I had one of the boys ready with both name plates, and he’d come running out with the correct name plate when we saw one of them coming down the hall. It was a real circus. It ended up being call the Ford Tractor with the Ferguson System. That’s the kind of stuff we used to go through.” Nevertheless, Gregorie’s Art Deco tractor design continued in production for thirteen years. In the “9N” designator, the “9” stood for the year of production (1939) and the “N” was the Ford designator for tractor. (Photo from the Collections of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village)

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