The company Georg R. Wille OHG was founded in Hamburg-Bergedorf in 1946 and built four-wheel drive tractors with four equally sized wheels from 1947 onwards. The first tractor, named Taurus, still consisted of many parts from American jeeps.
In 1950, the company was taken over by Franz Westermann and a designer was plucked away from Deuliewag. Tractors were now marketed under the name Nordtrak (Norddeutsche Traktorenfabrik). The breakthrough in the tractor market was to be achieved through the new know-how and better marketing. The result was the Taurus 30 with an output of 28 hp, powered by the water-cooled MWM KDW 415 Z engine.
The flagship was the Taurus 480 with 48 hp, of which only 6 were built. The very off-road tractors were in demand, but the relatively high purchase price prevented the production of large numbers. Most Taurus tractors were not used in agriculture, but mainly in forestry, as here the terrain was more difficult and the tractors could also be used very well on slopes.
In 1956, Nordtrak unfortunately had to file for bankruptcy, and a year later all production was stopped.
In total, around 1,300 tractors were built by Nordtrak, some of which still exist today, but are of course very rare. Many examples are already firmly in the hands of collectors and are no longer offered for sale. In retrospect, it can be said that Nordtrak was more than 10 years ahead of its time, as the 1960s saw a very strong increase in demand for four-wheel drive tractors.
Nowadays, Nordtrak tractors are occasionally offered for sale on Online Classic World.
