This year Caterpillar has been celebrating its centenary year and, as part of the commemorations, has commissioned a limited series of machines painted in ‘centennial grey’.
This is a nod back to the original Cat machines, introduced in 1925 in ‘battleship grey’; the more familiar ‘hi-way’ yellow with black trim did not come into use until 1931.
Ashbrook Plant Hire, based in Cheshire, is one of the first customers in the UK to secure one of these rare machines. The handover of a Cat 308 excavator took place at Finning UK & Ireland headquarters in Cannock, Staffordshire.
James Ashbrook, managing director of Ashbrook Plant Hire, said: “It's a tremendous honour to be the first company to take delivery of a limited edition Cat 308. Having worked with Finning for almost 20 years, we are thrilled to be part of their history during this milestone year by purchasing our new limited edition Cat 308 excavator from them.
“As the landscape of the construction industry continues to evolve, Finning has been a big part of our company's journey in connecting machinery to customers throughout the UK, and when looking to add to our fleet we were excited to have the opportunity to purchase a rare machine to commemorate Caterpillar’s landmark year.”
Lee Andrews, general manager-construction equipment sales at Finning, added: “Presenting Ashbrook with this centennial grey machine is a proud moment for us. They’ve been a valued customer for almost two decades, and it’s fitting that such a forward-thinking company should receive a machine that symbolises Caterpillar’s 100-year heritage and its commitment to further shape the future of construction.”
