The limited-edition color hearkens back to the original grey of the first crawler tractors produced after the Caterpillar Tractor…
It’s hard to think of Caterpillar without its trademark yellow, but the first Cats were actually grey and red.
To honor that past, Caterpillar is marking its 100th anniversary in 2025 with a new video showing scenes of vintage equipment and modern models, as well as debuting a limited-edition series of construction equipment with a special “Centennial Grey” paint color. (You can view the video at the end of this story.)
The limited-edition Centennial Grey machines will be displayed at select anniversary celebrations and trade shows, like last month’s World of Concrete where the company’s booth featured a 305 CR compact excavator in the special grey color scheme. They will also be offered for sale at select dealerships.
A Cat Centennial Grey CR 305 Mini Excavator was displayed at last month’s World of Concrete 2025.Equipment WorldThe Centennial Grey hearkens back to the original gray color of the first “track-type tractors” produced after the merger of Holt Manufacturing Company and C.L. Best Gas Traction Company to form the Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1925. (The early tractors also had red styling and tracks.)
The first modern machine to get the Centennial Gray was a D3 dozer, which features a 104-horsepower Cat C3.6 engine and has an operating weight of 20,640 pounds.
The limited-edition machines also feature special markings denoting Cat’s 100-year anniversary and a commemorative interior plate.
Cat Centennial Grey D6 XE dozerCaterpillarFour models in Centennial Grey were shown with Caterpillar’s online press release: a D3, D6XE and D8 dozer and a 305 CR excavator.
The company says other models getting the limited-edition color may also include:
- Compact, small and medium wheel loaders
- Backhoes
- Skid steers
- Compact track loaders
- Small and medium dozers
- Mini, small, medium and large excavators
- Motor graders
Those interested in purchasing one of these commemorative machines should contact their Cat dealers for availability.
Cat Centennial Grey D8 dozerCaterpillar
Watch Old, New Cats Come Alive
To further celebrate its centennial, Caterpillar posted a new video online called “Cat Trial 14: After Hours” that showcases vintage, new and futuristic equipment with a “Night at the Museum” theme.
A father and daughter visit the “Cat Innovation Museum,” where night falls and Cat machines break free from their glass enclosures and go to work. The machines represent Cat’s industrial, marine and electric-power products from the past and present and some nods to the future.
Equipment appearing in the video includes the Caterpillar Twenty Expo, which was an exposition machine in 1926 of the new company’s first 20-horsepower crawler tractor. Viewers also get a glimpse of the “Power Loader” contraption, designed to “bring to life a real-world version of the iconic exoskeleton from the ‘Aliens’ movie franchise,” according to the Hacksmith’s Power Loader project website. Unlike the movie version of the machine, it is built upon the chassis of a Cat compact track loader.
To watch “Cat Trial 14: After Hours,” check out Caterpillar’s video below:
It’s hard to think of Caterpillar without its trademark yellow, but the first Cats were actually grey and red.
To honor that past, Caterpillar is marking its 100th anniversary in 2025 with a new video showing scenes of vintage equipment and modern models, as well as debuting a limited-edition series of construction equipment with a special “Centennial Grey” paint color. (You can view the video at the end of this story.)
The limited-edition Centennial Grey machines will be displayed at select anniversary celebrations and trade shows, like last month’s World of Concrete where the company’s booth featured a 305 CR compact excavator in the special grey color scheme. They will also be offered for sale at select dealerships.
A Cat Centennial Grey CR 305 Mini Excavator was displayed at last month’s World of Concrete 2025.Equipment WorldThe Centennial Grey hearkens back to the original gray color of the first “track-type tractors” produced after the merger of Holt Manufacturing Company and C.L. Best Gas Traction Company to form the Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1925. (The early tractors also had red styling and tracks.)
The first modern machine to get the Centennial Gray was a D3 dozer, which features a 104-horsepower Cat C3.6 engine and has an operating weight of 20,640 pounds.
The limited-edition machines also feature special markings denoting Cat’s 100-year anniversary and a commemorative interior plate.
Cat Centennial Grey D6 XE dozerCaterpillarFour models in Centennial Grey were shown with Caterpillar’s online press release: a D3, D6XE and D8 dozer and a 305 CR excavator.
The company says other models getting the limited-edition color may also include:
- Compact, small and medium wheel loaders
- Backhoes
- Skid steers
- Compact track loaders
- Small and medium dozers
- Mini, small, medium and large excavators
- Motor graders
Those interested in purchasing one of these commemorative machines should contact their Cat dealers for availability.
Cat Centennial Grey D8 dozerCaterpillar
Watch Old, New Cats Come Alive
To further celebrate its centennial, Caterpillar posted a new video online called “Cat Trial 14: After Hours” that showcases vintage, new and futuristic equipment with a “Night at the Museum” theme.
A father and daughter visit the “Cat Innovation Museum,” where night falls and Cat machines break free from their glass enclosures and go to work. The machines represent Cat’s industrial, marine and electric-power products from the past and present and some nods to the future.
Equipment appearing in the video includes the Caterpillar Twenty Expo, which was an exposition machine in 1926 of the new company’s first 20-horsepower crawler tractor. Viewers also get a glimpse of the “Power Loader” contraption, designed to “bring to life a real-world version of the iconic exoskeleton from the ‘Aliens’ movie franchise,” according to the Hacksmith’s Power Loader project website. Unlike the movie version of the machine, it is built upon the chassis of a Cat compact track loader.
To watch “Cat Trial 14: After Hours,” check out Caterpillar’s video below:
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