1959 Porsche-Diesel Master 408 Tractor

This 1959 Porsche-Diesel Master 408 tractor was refurbished under prior ownership and was acquired by the current owner in 2022. It is finished in red with beige wheels, and power is from an air-cooled 3.3L inline-four diesel paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Equipment includes headlights, taillights, a rear work light, front and rear power take-offs, a three-point hitch, dual seats, and a fender-mounted jump seat. This Porsche-Diesel 408 is offered at no reserve on dealer consignment in Illinois with a certificate of authenticity, a repair handbook, refurbishment photos, brochures, and a bill of sale.

Porsche-Diesel introduced the Master 408 in 1958, and approximately 200 units were produced before production ended in 1960. The body and chassis of this example were refinished in red under prior ownership, and features include a rear-hinged hood, headlights, taillights, rear half fenders, a rear work light, and Porsche-Diesel badging.

Beige-painted steel wheels wear 7.50-20 three-groove front and 18.4-30 Kelly Springfield PowerMark 2000 rear tires. Stopping power is from independent rear drum brakes.

The operator’s station features dual beige-painted seats wearing red vinyl covers with yellow piping and Porsche-Diesel embroidery, while a jump seat is mounted on the left. Controls consist of a throttle, a transmission shifter, a power take-off lever, and brake pedals.

A four-spoke steering wheel sits ahead of an instrument panel that houses a 60 km/h speedometer, an engine temperature gauge, ignition and starter controls, a headlight switch, and a cigarette lighter. The five-digit odometer shows 5k kilometers (~3k miles), a handful of which were added under current ownership. The hour meter shows more than 99k hours of runtime, though total mileage and operating hours are unknown.

The air-cooled 3.3L inline-four diesel is equipped with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, and power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission.

The tractor is equipped with a hydraulically actuated three-point hitch, a draw bar, a pin hitch, and front and rear power take-offs.

A certificate of authenticity will accompany the tractor along with a repair handbook, brochures, and refurbishment photos.