Porsche Tractor Journey Raises Funds for Charity – and Awareness of the Toll of War

By Josephine Roberts
Published on November 10, 2015
1 / 12
Before setting off on the journey from southern Germany to North Wales, Arthur Niesser asked a couple of mechanics in Schwendi – Klaus and Alfons Hofele – to prepare the tractor for the journey. Now that the Porsche has returned to Germany, the Hofeles will be its caretakers.
Before setting off on the journey from southern Germany to North Wales, Arthur Niesser asked a couple of mechanics in Schwendi – Klaus and Alfons Hofele – to prepare the tractor for the journey. Now that the Porsche has returned to Germany, the Hofeles will be its caretakers.
2 / 12
There are no hydraulic arms on the tractor, but they aren’t essential. Working lights, though, are a must.
There are no hydraulic arms on the tractor, but they aren’t essential. Working lights, though, are a must.
3 / 12
Things are nice and straightforward from the driving seat – and that’s just as well, because Arthur hadn’t driven the Porsche in many years. It took a few miles for him to feel at home on the tractor.
Things are nice and straightforward from the driving seat – and that’s just as well, because Arthur hadn’t driven the Porsche in many years. It took a few miles for him to feel at home on the tractor.
4 / 12
Arthur with his Porsche, near his home on the North Wales coast.
Arthur with his Porsche, near his home on the North Wales coast.
5 / 12
The beginning of the story: Arthur’s family back in the day when the Porsche was a modern tractor. The woman at left is Arthur’s grandmother.
The beginning of the story: Arthur’s family back in the day when the Porsche was a modern tractor. The woman at left is Arthur’s grandmother.
6 / 12
Arthur loved this tractor as a little boy. He is shown here with his brother and grandparents on the family farm in southern Germany.
Arthur loved this tractor as a little boy. He is shown here with his brother and grandparents on the family farm in southern Germany.
7 / 12
Arthur parked outside the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium.
Arthur parked outside the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium.
8 / 12
Arthur spent poignant hours visiting war cemeteries and thinking of the fallen. Pictured here is the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. Located at Passchendaele in Belgium, the cemetery is home to a much-commented-on headstone. The marker at the grave of 2nd Lt. Arthur Conway Young reads, “Sacrificed to the fallacy that war can end war.”
Arthur spent poignant hours visiting war cemeteries and thinking of the fallen. Pictured here is the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. Located at Passchendaele in Belgium, the cemetery is home to a much-commented-on headstone. The marker at the grave of 2nd Lt. Arthur Conway Young reads, “Sacrificed to the fallacy that war can end war.”
9 / 12
The Porsche has an unmistakable shape.
The Porsche has an unmistakable shape.
10 / 12
View of Buckingham Palace from the Mall – a view not usually seen from the seat of a tractor.
View of Buckingham Palace from the Mall – a view not usually seen from the seat of a tractor.
11 / 12
The old Porsche, with its vintage caravan in tow, looks strangely out of place next to examples of Germany’s ultra-modern architecture.
The old Porsche, with its vintage caravan in tow, looks strangely out of place next to examples of Germany’s ultra-modern architecture.
12 / 12
Back in Britain, Arthur was pleased to meet up with his son, Tom, for a day in Windsor.
Back in Britain, Arthur was pleased to meet up with his son, Tom, for a day in Windsor.

A journey isn’t always about simply getting from one point to another. Take the amazing 1,000-mile trip from Germany to North Wales made by Arthur Niesser on his Porsche tractor in June 2014.

German-born psychoanalyst Arthur Niesser, who spent years working as a general practitioner before specializing, has long supported the work done by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). An international, independent medical organization that delivers emergency aid to those affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural disasters, Doctors Without Borders was founded in 1971 by physicians and journalists.

In 2014, Arthur decided to raise both awareness and funds for the charity by driving an antique Porsche tractor from his old family home in southern Germany to his current home in North Wales. During the planning process, he came to realize that 2014 marked the centennial of the start of World War I.

“In 1914, national borders were heavily defended,” he says. “Today (the European migrant crisis notwithstanding), most borders have become invisible and have lost their significance.” He began to see the fact that he would be able to drive his tractor across this part of Europe, a place once so troubled and full of conflict, as a kind of celebration; a measure of how far we have come in terms of peace. It also reminded Arthur of the sad losses and horrors that so many people suffered during both world wars.

Small and affordable

I imagine that quite a few physicians own Porsches, but I don’t suppose many of those are Porsche tractors. Arthur is certainly unusual in his choice of vehicle, but he didn’t actually go out and buy a Porsche: He inherited it. Arthur grew up in Schwendi in southern Germany, where his grandparents lived on a smallholding with three cows and a pig.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388