Spirit of ’76: Star-Spangled Horsepower

The Spirit of ’76 was a big deal for obvious reasons—America’s 200th birthday and all. But let’s be honest…it wasn’t just about patriotism. It was a full-blown commercial moment. If a company could slap stars and stripes on something, they did. From Burger King glasses to a red, white, and blue Poulan chainsaw (yep, that really happened), everybody cashed in.

Tractor companies got in on the action too. Not all of ’em, but a few rolled out special editions—and they’re pretty fun to look back on. So, since it’s Independence Day week, let’s take a little stroll through some of the more memorable ones.

And we’ll start with the one everybody remembers…Case’s Spirit of ’76 tractors.

Case 1570 Spirit of ’76

Case’s 1570 was new for ’76—big, bold, and sitting at the top of their row crop lineup. It was a barnyard bully, and it could muscle just about any implement you hooked it to. Farmers loved ’em back then, and plenty still do today.

But between January and July of that year, a few lucky 1570s got the Spirit of ’76 treatment—a stars and stripes package to match the Bicentennial buzz.

Nobody knows exactly how many were built, but most folks figure between 200 and 300. Personally, I’m leaning toward 200—it was America’s 200th birthday, after all.

The original sticker price? Just over $35K. Not sure if there was an upcharge for the special edition. But if you want one today, bring your wallet. Prices are all over the board, but a decent one will start at $15–20K. The one in the photo above? That one was extra nice—it sold at Mecum a few years back for $52,500.

However…that’s not all they built. There are supposedly about a half-dozen 1370s with the Spirit of ’76 treatment floating around out there too, from what I’ve been told. I’ve never been able to confirm that, but it’s a fairly persistent rumor.

But wait…there’s more!

Case 446 Spirit of ’76

Case built the 446 garden tractor from 1972 to 1988, and in that time, it actually spanned two companies—Case and Ingersoll Power Equipment. They were assembled in Winneconne, WI, and carried Case branding until Jack Ingersoll bought the outdoor power division in late 1983.

Designed to look like the 70-series row crops, the 446 used a 16-horse Onan twin, hydraulic drive, and a two-speed rear end. It was a neat little package that barely changed across 16 years of production. Case built a pile of them, and occasionally you’ll still see them working today.

That said, a few of these little guys that were something special. In 1976, Case dressed up eight 446s in the same Spirit of ’76 livery as the 1570. It wasn’t a number pulled at random either—these were built specifically to pull floats in Racine’s 4th of July parade. After that, they were sold off through dealers like any other tractor. Since then, six have resurfaced, but two are still off the radar. So…who knows? One might be hiding in the neighbor’s shed.

Case wasn’t the only company with a patriotic streak, though. Let’s go BIG…

Steiger’s Spirit of ’76 machines

Of all the tractors with bicentennial paint, Steiger’s were the biggest. The Panther II and III, Cougar II and III, and Tiger II could all be ordered with the stars and stripes treatment. From what I understand, it was a $1200 option. Once a customer or dealer placed an order, Steiger would send a finished machine across town to Walt’s Body Shop in Fargo, ND, for the patriotic paintwork.

Steiger originally hoped to sell 50 of them—one for every state—but that didn’t quite pan out. Some states didn’t see any orders at all, while others—like Kansas—really took a shine to them. Reports suggest at least eight of them went to Kansas alone. Most of the Spirit of ’76 units were Panther IIs and Cougar IIs, with a few of the rest mixed in.

These days, they’re hard to come by. Still, if you’re ever poking around the back roads of western Kentucky, keep your eyes peeled. I know for a fact at least two of them are still farming the same land out there. It’s rolling proof that red, white, and blue never goes out of style, y’know?

Next up, let’s go back to more manageable-sized machines for those who were rockin’ the suburbs…

Spirit of ’76 takes over the ‘burbs…

Farmers were definitely a target market, but for some equipment manufacturers—especially those in the residential space—the bicentennial was an even bigger opportunity. There were thousands of lawns to mow in suburbia, and patriotic paint jobs moved the needle.

Cadet 76

The most famous example? The Cadet 76, pictured above. Built from 1972–1976, it was an affordable little mower with a 7-horse Briggs & Stratton, a 36″ deck, and a fiberglass hood. But for that final year, IH’s Louisville Works gave it a makeover. They sprayed the body with IH’s 2150 red, left the hood white, and finished it off with the Spirit of ’76 decals. Roughly 3,700 of them were built—about two per dealership—and they were only sold in 1976. You could bring one home for $999.

Roper

They weren’t alone, either. Roper—who built mowers under their own name and for Sears—rolled out a red, white, and blue decal set for ’76. As far as I know, it only lasted that one year. They didn’t market it heavily; they just quietly made the switch.

Lawn Boy

The patriotic paint even made it down to push mowers. Lawn-Boy built a few for 1976 with matching graphics and a bag that said Liberty on the side. You don’t see many of those anymore, but if you’re watching Marketplace, eBay, or Craigslist, keep an eye out—you never know what might pop up.

Lastly, though, there was one more Spirit of ’76 rowcrop.

Massey Ferguson 1135 Spirit of America

Let’s talk Massey Ferguson—the last (and maybe most elusive) entry in the Bicentennial bunch.

From what I can tell, Massey only officially dressed up one tractor: an 1135. I’m pretty sure it’s the one in the photo above, taken during the July 4th parade in downtown Des Moines. Their headquarters were just a mile or two south of downtown—so it would make sense that they had corporate representation in the parade. The fleet of Massey 12 garden tractors circling the 1135 makes sense, too. They were manufactured here, along with the SkiWhiz snowmobiles, corn heads, and articulating 4WDs!

After that, though? Nobody that I’ve talked to knows what happened to the tractor. It probably did the rounds at the big farm shows—I know for sure it was at the National Farm Machinery Show (a buddy remembers photographing it as a kid in 1976). But its fate after that? Unknown.

Interestingly enough, if you wanted to DIY your own Bicentennial Massey, you could. For thirteen bucks, Massey would send you a decal set that was similar to theirs. I’ve never seen a full set of the decals, but I’ve seen the order form! They shipped from about seven blocks from where that parade photo was taken.

Final thoughts…

While I was writing this, I couldn’t help but wonder—next year is America’s 250th…will we see anything like the Spirit of ’76 again? Will Steiger pull a dressed up Panther II out of the barn and show it off next to a new one? Could that Massey still be hiding somewhere? Do any other manufacturers have snazzy Spirit of ’26 designs up their sleeves?

Who knows. But I hope so.

Enjoy the 4th, folks!