As many of us know, Lamborghini and Porsche were among today’s modern exotic car manufacturers that had a stake in the farming apparatus industry many moons ago. Similar to Porsche’s use of vehicles like the Cayenne today, tractors helped these low-volume companies bring in much-needed revenue to support their sports-car building aspirations. This 1964 Lamborghini 2R tractor here on eBay appears highly original and comes with a fair amount of documentation. It’s listed for $53K or best offer.
Wearing period-appropriate colors that match the Gulf liveries of Ford’s GT40 race cars, the 2R appears to have original paint, or at least a very old repaint. The seller notes the all-important body plate and engine stamp match, indicating the tractor retains its original three cylinder, air cooled diesel engine, which offered up around 40 b.h.p. when new. Listed by a dealer in Washington State, it was imported from Bolognese and still wears its Italian license plates.
It’s amazing how many of the details you can associate with a company like Lamborghini: the three-spoke steering wheel, elevated center gauge, foot pedal controls with metal ribs – not exactly what you’d envision for a utilitarian apparatus like a tractor. The engine is paired to a four-speed gearbox, and although they were available with four-wheel drive, this 2R is a rear-wheel driven example. The chipped paint enhances its credibility as a working-class vehicle, but the next owner is unlikely to use it for anything other than display.
The division of Lamborghini tasked with building farm equipment still exists today as Lamborghini Trattori. To me, that adds to the appeal of this oddity as it’s different from the short-lived attempt at building off-roaders like the LM002. The tractor business is a successful one, living on today with an award-winning lineup of farming and heavy-duty equipment. If I ever had the sort of play money lying around to blow on a vintage tractor, I’d buy the Porsche variant – but either of them would like stunning in your vineyard’s barn.
In that livery, I wonder if it would qualify for the Monterey historical car races?
Lamborghini was a well-established farm machinery manufacturer before it went into the car business.
Interesting entry, Jeff. I don’t know how many Lamborghini fans who own a Miura also own a Lambo tractor, but there are some bigtime Porsche collectors who also own a Porsche tractor in addition to one or more P-cars.
It’s interesting that years ago it was tractors that helped with cash flow for Porsche and Lamborghini. In fact, IIRC Mr. Lamborghini started out making farming vehicles and only got into supercars when Enzo Ferrari did something that annoyed him, which started Mr. Lamborghini trying to outdo Ferrari in the supercar field.
Today it’s SUVs that bring in the big cash flow for Porsche and BMW. And I saw somewhere that Ferrari might be doing a super SUV too.
I covered the Detroit Auto Show for a BMW publication in 1999 when the BMW X5 SAV (‘Sports Activity Vehicle’) made its debut, and was astonished that a storied carmaker like BMW would do an SUV…I mean, SAV.
Even now Porsche sells more Cayennes and other non-sportscars than it does sportscars, so financially it turned out to be a good move, even if it might have annoyed a few of the loyal fans.
Lamborghini started off buying Ferraris and customizing them. Ferrari did not like it and cut Lamborghini off.
Lamborghini then had no choice but to start building his own cars from the ground up.
Since moving away from the Wisconsin farm I lived at, my tractor days are over.(breaks my heart,,not) Doesn’t mean, I still don’t get an interest out of vintage tractors. All business. I’m a bit leery of the air cooled motor, seeing what tractors actually had to go through, but it must have worked. The cranberry farm I worked at had air cooled diesel Allis tractors, and were junk. I like the integrated fender/toolbox, and the “Lambo” seat, but other than that, it’s pretty much just an old tractor.
Actually a lot of European builders sold air-cooled diesel tractors and power units. KHD (Deutz), Porsche, FIAT, Lombardini, Lamborghini, just to mention a few. The ones that made it over here fared out reasonably well although their worst drawbacks were light weight and a lack of parts. I still see the odd one at a tractor show. In fact the little-known makes have generated a whole new interest.
There is a company named Ferrari that makes tractors and tillers, but I don’t know if it’s the same company as the car manufacturer. It’s a part of BCS Group.I’ve rented a tiller made by them, solid construction.
I have zero farming experience but love this tractor.
Cool. BHCC would market this as an off-road Countach for $100 large.
in the fifties the Porsche tractors used the air cooled engine but instead of a fan used the flow of exhaust gas to create a venturi air flow the pulled the hot air off the engine….and i think a torque convertor to enable the tractor to create a constant pull for holding something steady that it was hitched too. Interesting footnote on the engineering involved.
Cool tractor but are they worth this much?
Marty, Only if the buyer has money to bale.
Steve McQueen, would like that Gulf Racing paint job!
Monoposto Lambo! What’s not to like? (other than the price).
Imported from Bolognese. Does the seller perhaps mean imported from Bologna, which is a city in Italy? Or is he referring to some form of pasta, which has nothing to do with tractors?
I bought a new Mahindra 2538 tractor with front end loader, 66 inch front end snow blower with mid-point p.t.o., (2000rpm). It has a cab with heat and air conditioning, radio, power steering, tilt wheel, 4-wheel drive, 4 cylinder diesel and a 7 year warranty for 32,000.00. I wouldn’t trade if they gave me money to boot. It is in very nice condition for it’s age and not ugly, but it’s a tractor.
Numbers matching tractor? Wow. Interesting to see the license on the rear. 53K? I agree with Rube, an old tractor. But cool.
You can buy classic Lamborghini tractors a lot cheaper from these guys in the U.K.
http://www.europeanclassiccars.co.uk/cars_01.html
Please add David Brown and his tractors that helped Aston Martin during the lien days to the list in this conversation. Happily I have both examples in the barn.
I will keep my 1958 Massey Ferguson 65 and 1957 Massey Ferguson 50 thank you. The Lamborghini is interesting and saw a Porsche tractor once. It was interesting also. But unless you are a collector with deep pockets. It makes no sense to me. I USE my tractors!
It looks ok.
But for about 2000 I can buy an old ford 8n with 3 point hitch and can actually use it as a tractor.
The john deere 790 4wd with a front end loader I use now does better than either of those though.
The dealer is off I-5, north of the Alderwood Mall. They show up at the Saturday morning Redmond Town Center show with stuff every so often. Never inquired about their pricing, and this tractor ask reaffirms I made the right choice
This tractor is so over priced. For classic tractor collectors, you could buy 5 1964 John Deere 4020’s in better shape and obviously a much better tractor for this kind of money..
this should be on farmers only.com!