The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a pretty incredible event. I mean, I assume it is, because my trip there a few months ago got cancelled because I got sick in Germany and had to get ferried back home, missing out on all the Goodwood goodness and, probably, wood woodness, too. Point is, I missed out. But David and Beau, they got to see plenty of fun stuff, unexpected stuff, like this amazing assemblage of tractors made by people and companies normally associated with incredible, iconic sports cars and supercars, like Lamborghini, Porsche, and Aston Martin (sorta). Oh, and Fiat!
It does seem like there’s an unusual number of supercar makers that have origins in or some history with tractor production, but, if you think about it, it’s not really all that surprising. Tractors are automobiles, after all, just automobiles with a very specific job to do, and a very specific location to do it in.
I mean, is there really all that much of a difference in whipping laps around Laguna Seca and dragging a plow across a field of dirt as you prepare to plant a whole crop of juicy, delicious sorghum? Most farmers and racing drivers will agree that, no, there really isn’t any appreciable difference. That’s why, according to my sources (a raccoon in a dumpster wearing a tattered gray business suit that seems to have been stolen from an American Doll named Beatrix or something and possessing the ability to text on a stolen iPhone, possibly because of the humming helmet with blinking LEDs she wears) farmers and racing drivers can switch jobs with little or no additional training.
Anyway, look at David and Beau appreciating the crap out of these tractors:
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Hot damn! So many fascinating machines!
I think Porsche’s tractors may be the best known of these, with over 125,000 Porsche-Diesel tractors made between 156 and 1963.
I think these Porsche ones are popular because they’re so appealing-looking. Bright red, that curvy bull-nose hood, painted engine, lots of charming details like the semicircular air-intake nostrils, they’re just appealing machines.
This Lamborghini 2R tractor that the Autopian Boys saw at Goodwood is especially a treat. I think this is an early ’60s one, and that orange-and-blue color scheme is traditional for Lamborghini tractors, which started in 1948, building tractors using war-surplus engines and other parts. This one uses an air-cooled 2.1-liter three-cylinder diesel with fuel injection.
Speaking of fuel, Lamborghini had developed a fuel atomizer that let their tractors – ones that used a Morris engine – to start on gasoline and then switch to diesel, which is pretty damn cool. Also, remember, it was because Ferruccio Lamborghini was raking in so many lira that he was able to buy a Ferrari 250 GT with a bum clutch, which led to an altercation between Lamborghini and Enzo Ferrari, and that led to Lamborghini getting into the sports car business. This thing is part of why the Miura and Countach exists!
This one is especially cool. You know how Aston Martin models are named things like DB12 Volante or DB5 or DB7 or whatever? Ever wonder why the cars are all named DBsomething? That’s because that DB stands for David Brown, who took control of the company – which was founded in 1913 – way back in 1947.
Back in 1939, Brown acquired an old factory and began to build tractors there, then made gearboxes and other mechanical hardware for the war effort, but kept going with tractors. In 1947 he saw a classified ad for a “High Class Motor Business” for sale, which was, of course, Aston Martin, which he eventually bought. But he didn’t stop building tractors!
These are all fascinating. Am I bitter I didn’t get to go there and scrutinize Renault and Fiat and Lambo tractors myself? Yes. Yes, I am.
One hundred and twenty-five thousand Porsche tractors sounds impressive until you realize it took them 1807 years to accomplish.
There is a dude where I live who drives his skid steer like Ayrton Senna. He is always at ten tenths. Literally. Maximum throttle if he’s on throttle. Maximum brakes if he’s on brakes. And he does this within inches of your house, your trees, literally anything. And he never hits anything. And he levels everything by eye alone and I’ve never seen him be out by more than an eighth of an inch. I’ve checked fourty foot spans for level and seen him be dead on. Like laser level dead on. He could operate a race car, I’m sure of it
Was that David’s Racoon? Why is that poor fellow in a dumpster and not a Jeep?
I knew about Lambo and their tractors, but not the others. That Porsche is utterly gorgeous!
That Porsche is so gorgeous I’m a little awestruck.
Next year, Torch. There’s next year. Until then, rent a Kubota and soak in all that beautiful tractor goodness.
And Harry Ferguson, who designed the 3 point hitch, built his own tractors after the deal with Ford soured, and then an advanced AWD system for high performance cars.
Oh yeah! The FF Furguson Formula on the Jensen Interceptor!
Lamborghini still makes tractors. Jeremy Clarkson bought one new when he started working his farm.