The beefy Farmalls of the 1960s set new standards by which all other tractors would be gauged during the and subsequent decades. In a frequently repeating series of introductions, IHC bought out more powerful and refined tractors which makes it difficult to select one of these new series at the high water mark of IHC engineering excellence.

However, the Model 1206, introduced in 1965, does stand out as a leader of the 1960s IHC tractor dominance. For starters, it was the first Farmall two-wheel-drive tractor to utilize a turbocharger and to break the 100 horsepower barrier. Its 361 cubic-inch, six-cylinder, turbocharged diesel cranked out 112 PTO horsepower at the Nebraska Tractor Test.

Other advances the Farmall 1206 was noted for included the first IHC tractors to be quipped with dual-type dry air cleaners and factory-installed cabs.