1957 Porsche Diesel P 122 Tractor

Yes, it is a real Porsche, albeit worlds apart from the legendary sports cars of the same name. Both however share their roots. Fer- dinand Porsche was assigned by Adolf Hitler not only to develop the Volkswagen, but also a ‘Volksschlepper’ or ‘people’s tractor’. Three prototypes were made in 1934, all petrol-engined. A diesel engine had been developed by Porsche, but wasn’t ready yet for production. After the war Porsche signed a license agreement with two tractor manufacturers to use his diesel engines under the name System Porsche, but in 1956 Mannesmann AG took over the agreement and started producing tractors under the Porsche Diesel name. There were four versions, the P 111, P 122, P 133 and P 144 with respec- tively one, two, three and four (separately replaceable) cylinders. Later these were called Junior, Standard, Super and Master. The streamlined bonnet, quite unusual for a utility vehicle, is a character- istic feature of the Porsche Diesel, which were all finished in red.

Circa 125,000 Porsche Diesel tractors were produced until 1963, some of which are still in daily use. Porsche tractors are now beco- ming increasingly sought-after, especially by Porsche sports car owners and enthusiasts.

Engine
1,642cc air-cooled two-cylinder Diesel
Power output
22hp

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