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 1956 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.
Tractors are vehicles, too. Thank you for acknowledging these incredible vehicles. My first car was a Ford tractor 9N. I played with that every day as a kid. Even drive it to school once or twice.
This is a great article, and I think Torch had some edibles kick in or something when writing the intro.
There are also a range of Ferrari branded tractors, but I believe that they share only the name and nothing more. I’m not positive how Ferrari Trento (the tractor builder) doesn’t get sued into the ground for wearing that name; I can’t find a lot of information telling me that it was a founder’s name or something like that.
That Lamborghini isn’t the most interesting one, in my opinion. Lamborghini used to manufacture a crawler that could fit normal tires to its rear track sprockets so it could motor on down the road between field deployments at a less-crawler-like clip and, not for nothing, also do far less damage to the road.
Observe: https://pliki.farmer.pl/i/14/12/95/141295_940.jpg
There was a pretty cool looking British Leyland tractor for sale around here years ago that kept popping up when I was searching for backhoes. First and only one I’ve ever seen.
Thanks Jason for schooling me on DB
Having grown up with the 1974 MG B GT that now sits in my garage, I remember hearing about a connection between the small British sports cars and tractors (MGs, Austins, triumph, etc…); outside of David Brown’s products, of which, I’d consider Aston Martins to be large British sports cars and touring cars…
Though growing up in the US I never actually saw any of the Leyland tractors. My father grew up on a WI dairy farm and after literally transitioning from horses, (Belguims), they were loyal to Internationals and therefore IH tractors as well.
There could be a whole long series on interesting stories of the connection between makers of light cars/trucks and tractors, with several examples from the US, Italy, Germany, Japan, England that come to mind…
Someone from the Autopian should visit one of the big agricultural machinery fairs (EIMA, because it’s in Bologna; Agritechnica, because it’s massive) and/or construction machinery fairs (CONEXPO in Las Vegas, BAUMA in Munich). It’s a parallel world of very specialized and very big machines
Ford built tractors for decades, until at least the 1970s. They also built the GT and GT40 supercars. Just sayin’, there’s a definite lack of recognition of this tractor maker on this site.
I had a ’48 Ford 8N tractor for a while, it was a damn good little unit. The engine was basically half of a Ford Flathead V8.
John Deere really needs to get into the supercar game. Perhaps they could take 2 inline 6 diesels and make a low-revving v12 with enough torque to change the orbit of the earth. Of course, being John Deere, there will be no way to do any repairs without a factory technician and parts will cost 5-7 times what they are worth.
Porsche’s “tractors made between 156 and 1963 and 1963″ really show the patience and dedication to evolved progress over each model generation. It’s how they learned how to make each 911 model so special-yet-similar.
My uncle had a Porsche tractor, he was fond of telling people that although it was a Porsche, it tended to plow at low speeds. He was buying a Jagdwagen and the Porsche Junior was part of the deal somehow.
Of course the Ferguson P99 F1 car and the 1964 Novi-car for the Indianapolis 500 for Andy Granatelli’s STP team, the 4WD Formula One BRM P67 car for BRM in 1964, provided the 4WD system for the Lotus 56 turbine Indy car and 56B turbine Formula 1 car. Then those 4wd Jensons.
Oh, and Honda has dabbled in tractors.
Are you going to do a refrigerator manufacturers that branched out into supercars next?
Interesting.I didnt know about the DB/AM connection!
Of minor interest Ferrari once made cabs for Fiat tractors in the 80s.Something about needing extra money i hear.You should ask them about it.I’m sure they’re not embarrassed about it at all
There’s also an entirely separate Ferrari tractor company with its own storied history. No relation to Enzo, different Ferrari family.
Wow! You actually got one of the dumpster raccoons to converse with you? They usually just tell me to fuck-off and get lost, and become VERY adamant, if I press the issue.
Hey Torch did Porsche start making those tractors in 156BC or AD?
YES…I appreciate any tractor content I can get on here. I have a Fiat tractor I use pretty much daily on the farm, and my neighbor has a David Brown for running his baler.
Beau’s looking a lot like Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer in that headline photo.
Ferrari builds tractors: https://www.ferraritractor.com/ OK, not THAT Ferrari, and they aren’t even red! I wouldn’t kick one out of the barn.
“”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.“
GOVERNMENT WARNING: Whimsically has reached Level 4 Orange on the Torchinsky Scale. Seek shelter on higher ground.
My girls missed out on the Beatrix doll.
My 2022 LS MT125 is basically LG, and LG makes batteries that go in electric cars that can beat super cars so….
It’s a stretch ….
There’s a neighbour not far from my mum’s home who always parked his Porsche-Diesel tractor in the carport during the summer. I have not seen the owner driving it on the street or using it for farm work.
My mum learnt to operate the Porsche-Diesel tractor when she was a teenager in the 1950s, working at her stepfamily’s farm in the Black Forest area.
An air-cooled Porsche is a garage queen? Color me shocked. Shocked.
One hundred and twenty-five thousand Porsche tractors sounds impressive until you realize it took them 1807 years to accomplish.
Yeah, Who knew Porsche was even around back in 156 A.D.?
Seems like the 911 has been around that long.
That still made me get this song in my head:
“Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?”
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
Love watching people who have truly mastered their craft
Was that David’s Racoon? Why is that poor fellow in a dumpster and not a Jeep?
The Bishop’s travel buddy really gets around.
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!
And this!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferguson_P99
Lamborghini still makes tractors. Jeremy Clarkson bought one new when he started working his farm.
And everyones’ first comment was”you imbecile! It’s too big for what you do!” Because clarkson will clarkson