Own a Piece of Porsche History with this…Tractor?

1959 tractor provides unique look at iconic automaker’s ‘other’ vehicles.

Back in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Porsche was busy making the 356, a lightweight, two-door sports car that had the engine in the back. At the time, Porsche, with some help, was still making machines for farmers, too, like this 1959 Porsche Junior Tractor. This unrestored example that we spotted online via Hemmings has an estimated price of $21,300 to $27,000 and is being sold by Coys: Techno Classica in Germany.

The Junior Tractor was built between 1952 and 1963 and featured one of the automaker’s advanced air-cooled diesel engines. The 822 cc, single-cylinder engine generated 14 horsepower and had a hydraulic coupling between the engine and transmission, as engineers believed farmers wouldn’t be able to shift properly with a standard clutch.

This specific Junior Tractor is extremely rare, but that goes without saying. After WWII – for those that don’t remember their history classes, the war started in 1939 and ended in 1945 – only companies that were making tractors in Germany before the war were allowed to continue making the farm machines. Porsche was not one of these companies, requiring the automaker to partner with Germany company Allgaier GmbH and Austrian company Hofherr Schrantz. These two companies used the same engine design in their tractors as Porsche did, but under a different name.

The red tractor with cream-colored wheels and the discolored seat, which was white at point point, looks great for being nearly 60 years old. This tractor may not look like a lot, but it paved the way for the 911 and other incredible machines.