1959 Porsche 308 N Super

Following spells at the Austro-Daimler, Mercedes-Benz and Steyr companies, all of which benefited greatly from his monumental engineering prowess, Dr Ferdinand Porsche set up his own design consultancy in Stuttgart on 25th April 1931. Dr Ing hc F Porsche KG's most celebrated product of the 1930s was, of course, Hitler's 'People's Car - the Volkswagen - but the company was also active in other fields, literally so in the case of its tractor project. Several prototypes were constructed prior to WW2, the earliest of which were powered by petrol engines, before Dr. Porsche turned to diesel power, eventually developing a series of one, two, three and four cylinder air-cooled engines ranging in output from 14 to 55bhp. An unusual feature of Porsche's tractor system was its hydraulic coupling between the engine and the gearbox, which permitted smooth, clutch-less gear changes and thus reduced wear on the transmission components.

After the end of the war, Porsche was barred from producing its own tractors and only companies that had been making tractors prior to and during the war were permitted to carry on, forcing Porsche to license its designs to other manufacturers. Agreements were concluded with two companies, Allgaier GmbH in Germany and Hofherr Schrantz in Austria, and then in 1954 Mannesmann AG diversified into tractor manufacture by acquiring the rights to Porsche's engine and Allgaier's tractor design, setting up Porsche-Diesel Motorenbau GmbH.

In 1956, Mannesmann built a new manufacturing facility at the old Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen-Manzell, with the new range consisting of four models, JUNIOR, STANDARD, SUPER, and MASTER., (14 hp, 25 hp, 38 hp, 50 hp). Porsche-Diesel Motorenbau manufactured over 125,000 tractors between 1956 and 1963, many of which were exported, its products gaining the same reputation for sound engineering and superb build quality as their road-car relatives.

This, sought after, 308 Super (air-cooled, four stroke, 2,466cc three-cylinder diesel) was acquired from a farm near Dublin in 2014, where it had sat forlornly in a corner of a field for several years. It was then taken to renowned vintage tractor expert John Carroll in County Limerick, who set about a careful and methodical restoration of this handsome tractor. John Carroll is one of the world's leading authors on 'matters tractor' and has published half a dozen books on the subject ('The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Tractors and Trucks' and 'The Worlds Greatest Tractors'), a couple of which feature this immaculate, red and cream, 308 Super. Presented with the trator is an album documenting the restoration from field to delivery in the UK

We understand it was never registered for the road, however, it has the correct chassis plate and the chassis number is clearly visible, so with the appropriate factory papers and documentation, registration shouldn't be a problem. Porsche Club GB have experience in this situation and would be a great help. They have an active Tractor Register and when suitably legal this, comparatively quick, 308 would be perfect for a summer's evening 'road run'.

A beautifully restored, rare, Porsche 308 N Super tractor. A must for any Porsche enthusiast"s garage.