Very rare, innovative 1938 car-tractor hybrid up for sale (8 pics + 1 video)

The Minneapolis-Moline UDLX was one of the world's first attempts combine tractor and car. It didn't turn out very well, but cool.





An unusual lot will be put up for auction Mecum in mid-November called Minneapolis-Moline UDLX. This is a tractor that combines in its design features of agricultural machinery and passenger car. UDLX was released in the second half of the 1930s: only 150 were assembled copies. The estimated price of the rarity is not announced.



UDLX was a kind of response from Minneapolis-Moline to a request market: the company felt that farmers would be much more comfortable work their fields on tractors with a closed cabin, which then almost never released. When developing a tractor, the designers deliberately gave its appearance features similar to the appearance of cars of that time.





In addition to the appearance, the company endowed the tractor with a number of amenities, borrowed from cars. Among them, for example, sun visors, clocks, opening vents in the windows and glove box. It was assumed that on such a tractor a farmer, who has completed his agricultural affairs, will be able to comfortably go to daily necessities directly from the field. On the roads of the common use UDLX could accelerate to 65 km / h.



However, Minneapolis-Moline was only able to produce and sell 150 of these. tractors. They cost about twice as much as the most popular then. models and differed by some design flaws - for example, I had to get into the cabin through the hinged doors in the rear wall. It is generally accepted that no more than 80 copies have survived to this day, with this restored to the same condition as exhibited on sale of UDLX, units.