Looking for a little spicier tractor? Yes, Virginia, even a tractor lover can go upscale German and opt for a curiver variety. Just don't expect to leave your driveway opposite-locked and drifting . . ..

This Porsche Junior is a 1960 model imported from Germany by one of the members of the DuPont family and now owned by  Thomas Grunnah. The machine is powered by a Porsche single-cylinder diesel engine with a hydraulic coupling between the engine and transmission.

Ferdinand Porsche began experimenting with a tractor design in 1934. He and his engineers tinkered for 16 years, finally releasing a line of agricultural machines in 1950, and producing them until 1964. Porsche created a unique line of tractors that used single-, two-, three- and four-cylinder diesel engines with interchangeable cylinder heads. The hydraulic clutch was selected as the company believed the gentle engagement would work well for farmers accustomed to horses rather than engine-driven equipment.

In 1956, the restrictions were lifted and the tractor market was booming. Porsche bought the licenses back from the two companies and transformed an old Zeppelin factory into a tractor manufacturing plant. More than 125,000 Porsche-Diesel tractors were built between 1956 and 1964.

The small tractors weren’t terribly popular in the United States. They didn’t have enough horsepower for the market, and the exchange rate made them quite expensive. About 1,000 of these were exported to the United States.The model line ended with the 1963 year, with a few 1963-spec machines built in 1964.