"Hobby artist"

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Grandpa Schorsch wants to make his grandchildren happy.

(Bild: Sobe Hermann)

Former municipal employee Georg Spendier (67) has a special hobby: he restores vintage agricultural vehicles.

Not everyone gets such a great gift: Georg Spendier (67) restores old tractors for his five grandchildren Julian, Andreas, Adrian, Nadine and Marina. The children are enthusiastic passengers when Grandpa Schorsch goes for a ride in one of his vintage cars - which is how the former municipal employee and fire department commander came up with this idea.

Since 2016, Spendier has dedicated himself to restoring old tractors. "It's difficult to acquire old models," explains Spendier. "Many of them already have scrap value, are total losses, but this is a challenge for us. After the purchase, they are transported to our garage. Only then do we start dismantling."

Many hours go into the hobby
The next step for the tractor expert is to clarify which spare parts are needed. "If there are no spare parts, they have to be made," says Spendier, who is passionate about his hobby. "I spend many, many hours in retirement. My son also sacrifices a lot of his free time."

Each tractor has its own story, emphasize the two "hobby artists". It starts with the search for these vintage vehicles in old barns. "Then you have to play poker for the price. Around 80,000 euros will have been invested in the five gems," says son Werner.

Four tractors have already been fully restored: a Steyr 182, a Steyr 18, a Deutz T30 and a Warchalowski WT20 (all built in 1960). Now they are working on a Steyr 180, built in 1948, and then all the grandchildren will finally have their own classic car.