Photo: mbtrac1800 via Catawiki
Porsche tractors were not uncommon in Europe during the 1950s and 1960s, and they have become collector pieces over the years. We still don’t know where to place this “Porscwagen” contraption marrying a Porsche tractor with a Volkswagen Beetle body, but it sure looks fun.
Many auto brands started life to build cars, but some had humbler products as well. Some built loom machines, like Toyota, and some even grinders, like Peugeot. That’s why it is not unusual to know that present-day sportscar brands were once known for their tractors. Lamborghini is one of them, but Porsche also lent its name (and designs) to a tractor maker named Porsche-Diesel Motorenbau. It was fairly successful, with around 125,000 units produced between 1952 and 1963.
The Porsche-Diesel Standard 218 was one of their most important models and also the last one, considering it was built until the company was shut down in 1963. Powered by an air-cooled, two-cylinder diesel engine with 25 horsepower, the Standard 218 had an impressive drawbar pull of 14.7 kN. Today, these are mostly seen in car collections around the world, and this example selling on Catawiki is no exception.
It does have something weird about it, as you can see from the pictures: the owner thought it was cool to install a Volkswagen Beetle body on top of it. As the listing states, it was made to copy an alleged stunt by Porsche at an Auto Messe show, although we couldn’t find anything on that. The tractor looks new, and the engine hour meter appears to confirm, with two hours mentioned in the listing.
The interesting build uses the entire front part of a Beetle, including the fenders, bumper, and windshield. The bonnet is also there, but with a cutaway to let the original tractor bonnet stick out. The tailgate of the Beetle was skillfully integrated at the rear, and everything looks quite well-thought-out, to be honest. Of course, not using the inside parts of the Beetle would’ve been a missed opportunity, but luckily this Porscwagen has the steering wheel and the rear bench sourced from the Bug.
If you fancy this build, you must know that the tractor is located in the Netherlands. It is estimated to fetch around €50,000 ($52,000) at auction, although the highest bid at the time of writing is €17,500 (around $18,000). There are still seven days until the auction ends, so there’s time for the offers to at least meet the reserve.
The Porsche-Diesel Standard 218 was one of their most important models and also the last one, considering it was built until the company was shut down in 1963. Powered by an air-cooled, two-cylinder diesel engine with 25 horsepower, the Standard 218 had an impressive drawbar pull of 14.7 kN. Today, these are mostly seen in car collections around the world, and this example selling on Catawiki is no exception.
It does have something weird about it, as you can see from the pictures: the owner thought it was cool to install a Volkswagen Beetle body on top of it. As the listing states, it was made to copy an alleged stunt by Porsche at an Auto Messe show, although we couldn’t find anything on that. The tractor looks new, and the engine hour meter appears to confirm, with two hours mentioned in the listing.
The interesting build uses the entire front part of a Beetle, including the fenders, bumper, and windshield. The bonnet is also there, but with a cutaway to let the original tractor bonnet stick out. The tailgate of the Beetle was skillfully integrated at the rear, and everything looks quite well-thought-out, to be honest. Of course, not using the inside parts of the Beetle would’ve been a missed opportunity, but luckily this Porscwagen has the steering wheel and the rear bench sourced from the Bug.
If you fancy this build, you must know that the tractor is located in the Netherlands. It is estimated to fetch around €50,000 ($52,000) at auction, although the highest bid at the time of writing is €17,500 (around $18,000). There are still seven days until the auction ends, so there’s time for the offers to at least meet the reserve.
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