An old tractor that had been gathering dust for years in front of a dilapidated building near Bhagat Singh Chowk in Jalandhar has suddenly become the center of attention. Which the locals considered as junk, the same 105-year-old vintage tractor has now been sold for Rs 1.25 crore and reached a museum in California.
The tractor is a 1921 German-made Lenz Bulldog HL-12 model. In the world of vintage vehicles, it has a special place. It runs on a single-cylinder hot-bulb engine. The engine had to be heated before starting. Once warm, it could produce strong power even at low speed. In its time, it was used for ploughing fields, pumping water and running mills.
According to local shopkeeper Puneet Vadera, no one had any idea that this tractor was a priceless specimen of the vintage world. First, a tractor company from Mumbai offered Rs 2 lakh, which was rejected. Later, bids of up to Rs 28 lakh were also made, but the owners did not accept that either. Finally, a foreign company, realising its real value, bought it for Rs 1.25 crore.
Just a day ago, the tractor was loaded onto a truck and sent away. It will now be preserved in a museum in California as a piece of history.
Aman Kumar, who lives near this ruined building, said that he has been playing with this tractor since childhood. He never thought that the vehicle he kept playing with would one day become the adornment of a foreign museum. He said that it is a matter of pride for the local people that this heritage specimen of Jalandhar has now reached the international level.
Once considered junk, this tractor has now become a valuable piece of history. This incident reminds us that sometimes it takes both time and perspective to understand the hidden value in old things.
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