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Porsche Junior review
2 years ago
The diesel engine was designed by Dr Ferdinand Porsche himself
Such power is fed to the rear wheels through a six-speed gearbox arranged in two groups of three. This leads to in-gear maximums that are pleasingly easy to remember: first, second and third come with top speeds of 1, 2 and 3mph respectively, rounded to the nearest mile per hour. Things get a lot more exciting in fourth, which will take you to fully 4.5mph. You’re starting to really fly at almost 8mph in fifth, while those with sufficient courage in their hearts will find that flat-out it will top 12mph, given sufficient space. Its two reverse gears are good for 0.7 and 3.2mph.
As for the suspension, the primary springing medium can be found underneath the seat, plus whatever give there may be in the massive sidewalls of tyres designed to fit a 24in wheel rim. The steering is direct – to put it mildly – and helped by an innovative asymmetrical braking system that provides a pedal for each of the rear-mounted drums, allowing a degree of passive torque vectoring that has to be seen to be believed. Suffice to say that its turning circle is just 2.6 metres, or just twice the width of the tractor itself.
"The steering is direct – to put it mildly – and helped by an innovative asymmetrical braking system that provides a pedal for each of the rear-mounted drums, allowing a degree of passive torque vectoring that has to be seen to be believed"
A weight of 959kg is quoted for the Porsche Junior, but we have to be careful here, as that is a dry weight intended for shipping purposes. Its operational weight, with fluids and driver on board is 1159kg, with a maximum permissible ballasted weight of 1533kg.
Unlike most manufacturers, Porsche provides a range of possible options for climbing aboard. You can approach from either side and just step up onto the foot plate in time honoured style, you can walk up behind it, stand on the rear deck and access the seat that way, or you can take your chances and simply vault the back of the tractor, legs akimbo and hope that you land in the seat. It’s worth mentioning too those lengths of bent metal tubing sprouting from each of the rear wings, affording further seating behind the driver in an arrowhead formation. Unlike a McLaren F1, though, in this application they sit laterally facing each other, where it is easier to strike up a conversation.
“In traditional Porsche racing style, first is located in a dog-leg position, to the left and back. Unlike, say, a Porsche 917 or 962, however, there is no synchromesh on this transmission, so you need to employ a fast, positive and accurate action across the gate and forward into second”
Once installed behind the classically configured three-spoke steering wheel, you’ll find nothing you don’t need and possibly quite a lot more of what you do than expected. There are, for example, those twinned brake pedals that allow independent side-to-side braking, and two throttles too, one for the hand and one for the foot. There are two transmission levers, one operating the gears, the other the transfer box and – what’s this? – a pedal you can kick with your heel that will momentarily lock the diff solid, ensuring you pop, cork-like, from whichever bog into which you may have unintentionally sunk. Why doesn’t Porsche fit this kind of stuff to more of its products?
The engine starts with all the civility you might expect of an air-cooled, single cylinder, naturally aspirated diesel. No rev-counter is fitted, but its idling speed is so slow you could dry your hair between compression strokes.
Like a McLaren F1, the Junior offers seating for three with the driver located centrally
In traditional Porsche racing style, first is located in a dog-leg position, to the left and back. The single-plate clutch is gentle and, so long as you don’t accidentally set off in low range, you’ll be at walking pace in no time at all. Unlike, say, a Porsche 917 or 962, however, there is no synchromesh on this transmission, so you need to employ a fast, positive and accurate action across the gate and forward into second. Caution is needed here because by now a pedestrian would need to adopt a fast jog to keep up. It’s best to drive the engine on the torque rather than mercilessly rev it out in every gear, but whatever style you adapt, the route into third gear and speeds as high as 14mph is to slash the lever straight back as fast as you can make it go. The action is quick, well-oiled and very mechanical and, indeed, better in this regard than those found in either a 917 or 962. It has more gears too.
Should you choose to tow a priceless racing car behind your Porsche Junior, you’ll find the process simplicity itself: just hook it up, set off gently and, as ever, let the torque pull you along. It makes quick work of even a car like an 1100bhp Porsche 917/30 and affords the opportunity of taking a photograph of the least powerful Porsche in history towing the most. But care needs to be taken to ensure the smoothest of gearchanges and anticipate the additional drag on the transmission made by the mass of a 5.4-litre, twin-turbo flat-12 Can-Am car, if you’re not to pull the nose off one of the crown jewels of the Porsche Museum collection.
If you are now concluding that the powertrain of the Porsche Junior is perhaps somewhat restricted in its sphere of operations, it’s nothing, really nothing at all, compared to the chassis. In the corners its abilities are most kindly described as ‘limited’. Grip levels are determinedly modest, with heroic levels of understeer awaiting those who push too hard. The steering is neither particularly quick nor accurate, and is saved only by the fact it takes so long simply to travel from turn-in to apex that there is all the time in the world to modify your trajectory en route. As for ride quality, by all conventional measures it is best regarded as absent.
And yet there is joy to be had here, real, proper driving pleasure albeit of a very particular kind. What do we want from our recreational vehicles? Surely, more than anything, it is to feel part of the machine? And you’ll rarely feel more in the thick of the action than when on board a Porsche Junior juggling its brakes, throttles and gearboxes, and that’s before we’ve even mentioned all the other stuff it can do thanks to the myriad other machines you can run off its rear PTO. But I’m in danger of losing myself here and giving the impression that I may not be the world’s leading authority on ancient Porsche mini-tractors after all. Like the best driving machines, it requires all your attention all of the time to get the most from it. Likewise, it will punish the sloppy hand as surely as it will reward those that are confident and assured.
I’ve been lucky enough to drive many hundreds of Porsches over the years, the least potent being close to 10 times as powerful as this, but when the time comes to look back at the Porsches I’ve most enjoyed being onboard, it will be right up there among some of the most fabled machines ever rendered into automotive form.
With thanks to Mark Riccioni for the images and the staff of the Porsche Museum for trusting me with the pride and joy of the collection
1960 Porsche-Diesel Junior
Engine:
822cc, 1-cyl, naturally aspirated
Transmission:
6-speed manual (3x2), rear-wheel drive
Power:
14bhp @ 2250rpm
Torque:
not quoted
Weight:
1159kg
Power-to-weight:
12bhp per tonne
0-62mph:
7.0sec (estimated)
Top speed:
12mph
Price:
£25,000 (approx)
