This curious tractor (pictured above) is a Mali Li-Trac 300. It is believed that only five of these machines were built.The manufacturer - Mali - apparently sought to fill the niche previously occupied by German tractor manufacturer Schluter. Schluter ceased production of its distinctive-looking tractors in the early-to-mid 1990s.Mali was founded by Swiss entrepreneur Markus Liebherr in 1994 in Upper Swabia (in south-western Germany); the first two letters of his forename and surname - 'Ma' and 'Li' - formed the entity's title.[colored_box color="green"]He was a son of the founder of Liebherr - the giant manufacturer. Incidentally, Liebherr had supplied engines for fitting to some Schluter tractors.[/colored_box]A number of Mali prototypes were built; versions with differing power outputs were to be offered.The Li-Trac 300 - as its model designation suggests - had about 300hp on tap. That was courtesy of a six-cylinder, 10L Liebherr engine. This engine was mated to a Funk powershift transmission.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nguuC_8lC0The tractor was also notable for having a sprung front axle (much rarer then than now) and an optional 50kph top speed.The fuel tank was capacious; it could hold a whopping 1,000L of diesel.[caption id="attachment_265193" align="aligncenter" width="728"]

Image source: www.ing-lingua.com[/caption]It was also home to a rotating driver's platform (reverse-drive). Helpfully, the whole cab could be tilted rearwards for service access (courtesy of a hand-operated hydraulic pumping system). It was quite well appointed; air-conditioning was standard.The tractor (unladen) weighed 10.3t. It was nothing if not imposing; it stood 3.5m tall.[caption id="attachment_265188" align="aligncenter" width="728"]

Image source: www.traktormenschen.de[/caption]Alas, the concept didn't gather sufficient momentum. The tractor didn't survive as a commercially-viable proposition.Nonetheless, Markus was not the only industrious engineer with a hankering for 'systems tractors' of this ilk. The concept of having four equal-sized wheels and a mid-mounted cab was clearly one that such individuals were keen to breathe new life into.Interestingly, Markus also had a keen interest in sports; he even owned English football club Southampton at one time. He passed away in 2010 - at the relatively young age of 62.

Why didn't this 'systems tractor' take off?

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