5 things you need to know about Clarkson’s Lamborghini tractor

His latest show, Clarkson’s Farm has become an international sensation. The show follows Clarkson as he learns how to farm his newly purchased farm in England, where every day is a tough lesson for the outspoken and opinionated Brit. His first act as farm owner was to purchase a tractor. Now if you know Mr Clarkson and his ways then you already know that this was not going to be as easy as it may seem. While given the option to purchase some smaller units which were recommended to him, Clarkson decided to ignore the advice and opt for one of the biggest tractors that he could find…and it’s a Lamborghini. Watch Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime

 

Here are 5 things that you need to know about Jeremy Clarkson’s Lamborghini R8 270 DCR:

1. Tractors before supercars

While Lamborghinis supercars cause your eyes to widen and jaw to drop, it was the tractors that came first.  Lamborghini Tractors was founded in 1948 by Ferruccio Lamborghini and the story goes that Mr Lamborghini purchased a Ferrari. He was so disappointed then drove his Ferrari over to his then neighbour Enzo Ferrari, threw the keys at him and told him that his car is rubbish and that he was going to build his own car to show Ferrari how it is done.

 

2. Total domination with class

That’s this specific tractors tag line. A fitting description of this, the R8 270 which is described by the brand as the ‘flagship’ of the Lamborghini stable, with a Deutz Common Rail Tier 3 engine with 24-hour valve heads; ‘outstanding’ transmission’ and superior hydraulic system.

 

3. Let’s talk about power

Clarkson has been known to demand POWER from everything that he drives and the R8 270 offers impressive power figures which should satisfy Clarkson’s needs. The 7.1 litre 6 cylinder turbodiesel motor develops 275kW and 1052Nm of torque. It features four-wheel drive and a clever transmission. The gearbox features six synchronised ranges, each with four Powershift gears. This was however a problem for Mr Clarkson. “There are, I’m told, 48 gears forward and reverse. Happily, there are only two brake pedals and two throttles. But I did count 164 buttons before I opened the arm rest and found 24 more. None of them is labelled, which is a worry as all of them are designed to engage stuff that will tear off one of my arms.”- Jeremy Clarkson

 

4. The hydraulic system

The hydraulic system has three separate circuits fed by three separate pumps. The first circuit provides lubrication oil, feeds the transmission, operates the Powershift and also feeds the hydraulic reverse shuttle, the PTO clutch, the front wheel drive and the differential locks. The second circuit feeds the hydrostatic steering system. The third circuit is a closed centre system with a specific 120 l/min Load Sensing pump, and is dedicated to the lift and distributors. The hydraulic system feeds an array of four eight-way distributors controlled from a multifunction joystick. The electronic lift with slippage control can carrying loads up to 10 500Kg. As an option, the system may also be equipped with front lift and front PTO.

 

5. The interior

As Mr Clarkson pointed out, the interior is full of buttons and switches that do all sorts of things. It also features a large windscreen and windows and a panoramic glazed roof for a full surround view. It also makes use of a ventilation and air conditioning system which maintains the ideal internal temperature in all working and weather conditions. The cabin is also offers maximum driver comfort with generous space for long hours in the field.

One of the biggest issues with this tractor was that it was overkill for Clarkson’s farm. The tractor is so big in fact, that the former Top Gear presenter said it wouldn’t fit into his barn. Therefore, he had to build a new one. It would also not fit through the many narrow gates on the farm which saw him drive over sections of the walls and fences. We recommend reading our article on how to choose the right tractor for the job here. Despite these slight niggles, Clarkson seems to be happy with his Lamborghini.

“When I’m trundling along and the air-conditioning is on and there’s a constant dribble of socialism coming from Radio 4, I confess I start to understand why Forrest Gump was happy, after all his adventures, to end up on a tractor mowing the school football field.” – Jeremy Clarkosn