The idea of a heavy multipurpose tractor, intended for the prepared invasion of the Soviet Union supposedly came from Adolf Hitler.

In 1941 Ferdinand Porsche prepared a design of a four-wheel drive tractor, distinguished by its large diameter - 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) - steel cleated wheels.

The vehicle was powered by Porsche's own design air-cooled, inline-four petrol engine of 6023 cc displacement.

[1] Final development and production took place in the Škoda automobile plant in Mladá Boleslav, in what was then the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

The RSO went through its first trials in 1942, but results were disappointing; high weight and narrow wheels caused high ground pressure, causing the tractor to get stuck easily even on relatively solid surface.