The IH Black Stripe: Dressing up the 66-Series

International Harvester’s 66-Series tractors were far and away their most popular line of the “modern” era. They really were a runaway success, and whether you love them or hate them, it’s hard to argue they weren't iconic machines.

However, by the spring of 1975, IH worried that sales would fall off, as farmers anticipated a new model. The 86-Series — which would be available with Harvester’s first factory-built cab — was on the horizon, but it wouldn’t be introduced for another year and a half, for the 1977 model year. IH still had lots of 66s to build, and they needed to keep up the forward momentum.

What do you do with a classic design to kick it up a notch? Well, first you hire the right guy for the job.

Browse IH Black Stripe tractors on Tractor Zoom

Gregg Montgomery

Gregg Montgomery left Ford’s Automotive Styling & Design team to sign on with International Harvester in March 1975. He’d been with Ford for a few years and had a fair amount of experience styling the F-series dent-side pickups. When the 66-Series refresh project came across the desk of Bob Skyer, head of IH’s industrial design, he gave it to Montgomery as a first project.

I’ve never met Gregg, but if I were in his shoes, I’d have been a little unnerved by the task. I mean, even back in the 1970s, the 66-Series was heralded as a modern classic. The idea of restyling that tractor would have been a pretty tall order!

Nevertheless, Gregg got to work. After submitting a few different options, the one that stuck out came to be known as “The Black Stripe.” Harvester introduced it to the public on September 30, 1975, at the Farm Progress Show just west of Malta, Illinois. As I understand it, over 75,000 people saw the tractor that first day alone!

The response was great, too. Farmers loved the fresh, new look, and sales remained strong for the rest of the production run!

Why the IH Black Stripe styling worked

The refreshed styling of the 66-Series tractors was a massive shift from the past. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with the original styling — it’s classic and it always will be. However, that original styling used more color, metal badges, and the cursive “Turbo” script. You could argue that those elements, coupled with the big, off-white splash on the side panels, made for a busier design.

The IH Black Stripe design was a dramatic departure from all that. No more badges or extraneous design to clutter up the sides of the tractor; just a simple vinyl decal and a whole bunch of 2150 red. It was very clean, bold, and strong. It stood out in 1975, and it still does today, from where I’m sitting.

If you need further proof of the Black Stripe’s popularity, its styling is faked more than just about any other tractor. Even more than Gold Demonstrators!

Real or fake?

At the end of the day, it’s awfully easy to fake an IH Black Stripe. All it takes is a fresh coat of IH 2150 red, the decal kit (which you can still get from your local red dealer), and a flat-bottom panel without the louvers. That’s it.

That said, there are a few mechanical differences between Black Stripes and earlier models, but not many. For instance, you’ll find that a lot of them have 86-Series rear ends, and quite a few have 86-Series three-point arms as well. As I understand it, as the assembly line ran out of 66-Series parts, Harvester would swap in the newer model parts, since they’re directly bolt-in. You’ll also find that most Black Stripes have serial number tags on the right side of the transmission housing by the hydraulic filter. However, early examples still have that tag on the left side of the clutch housing.

Honestly, the only real way to tell whether you’re looking at a real-deal Black Stripe is by the serial number, because IH kept a record of the serial breaks for each. See the handy-dandy chart below!

Now, what about this one in the photo?

Mountain View Tractor’s IH Black Stripe

This one just listed on Tractor Zoom a few days ago, and she’s a pretty one!

Now, I don’t know a ton about this machine, but I do know a little bit about it, and I’m happy to share it.

I had a brief chat with Randall at Mountain View Tractor about it the other day. Here’s what he told me:

They bought the tractor from a farmer’s widow in Washington, Iowa, late last year or early this year. They’ve spent the past few months restoring it to what you see in the photo. It’s a late 1975 model (the 103rd Black Stripe 1466). Total hours are unknown, as I believe the tach was replaced. It’s a dual-remote tractor with 540 and 1,000 PTO. It’s got a set of fresh Firestones in the back and new four-ribs up front (I think they’re Carlisles).

Overall, it’s a nice example of an IH Black Stripe 1466 with a clean bill of health, and I doubt it’ll last very long on the market. They’re asking $32,500 for it, which is about in line with what I’ve seen other restored Black Stripe 14s going for over the past year or so. There was another very sharp late-1975 model that sold on a C.A. Tesch consignment auction earlier this week that brought $39,000, so this one could end up being a bargain.

Click below to see the TZ listing.

IH Black Stripe 1466

One more thing about Gregg Montgomery

Gregg wasn’t a one-trick pony. After the success of the IH Black Stripe restyle, he went on to a long and storied career with the company. These are just a few of the red tractors he designed.

I’m fairly sure he’s retired now, but make no mistake: Gregg Montgomery has had a hand in some of the most popular red tractors we’ve seen in the last 50 years — that’s a heck of a legacy! Someday I’d love to buy him dinner. Who knows, maybe I can get another story or two for Interesting Iron! (Gregg, if you’re reading this, the invite is open!)

Make it a great week, folks. And if you’re heading to Red Power Roundup this weekend, bring an umbrella and have a great time! This’ll be my first one — I’m heading up there in the morning, and I can’t wait to check it out!

Hi! I’m Ryan, and I love tractors. It doesn’t matter if it’s a showpiece, an oddball, or seen its share of life ... if it’s unique and it’s listed by one of our auctioneer partners at Tractor Zoom, I’m going to show it off a little bit! This equipment is all up for auction RIGHT NOW, so you can bid on it. I think it’s cool, and I hope you will too! This is Interesting Iron!