Rare Porsche tractor sold
A rare Porsche tractor caught the eye of an online bidder during a Ripplebrook clearing sale last weekend.
The vintage collector’s item topped the online Martin Evans Auction at $15,450.
Vendor, Tony Forrest of St Leger Machinery, buys, sells, restores and exports vintage farm machinery.
The tractor, circa 1955, was built by the famous automotive company Porsche during a limited stint manufacturing tractors.
Porsche made tractors from 1937 in collaboration with German company Allgaier GMBH and Austrian company Hofherr Schrantz with both companies using the Porsche engine design. In 1956 Porsche took over all tractor production and the tractors were named Porsche-Diesel.
The plant was closed in 1960 to allow Porsche to concentrate on its famous car lines.
The 1960, two-cylinder Porsche tractor, possibly the only one in Australia was sold at the clearing sale of more than 350 items including vintage machinery and farming memorabilia.
The tractor came into Mr Forrest’s possession during a trip to the UK when a tractor exporter asked him if he had enough space in his shipping container for the Porsche.
With a background in panel repairs, Mr Forrest has imported and exported farm machinery all over the world.
He has a huge collection on his Ripplebrook property and decided to have a clearing sale to clear out some old stock because his collection was overflowing.
Mr Forrest uses his panel beating and spray painting skills to restore vintage farm machinery and then export to buyers in New Zealand, United States, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, New Guinea,Sri Lanka and Japan.
The Porsche was the top selling item at the clearing sale where all 356 items were sold attracting bids from local, interstate and overseas interests.