I work at John Deere and this was on the Internal Website a few days ago. Wish I could of had that tractor sitting in my garage!
Rare Tractor Brings Top Dollar An unrestored experimental John Deere tractor commanded some high bidding at an estate auction in Davenport, Iowa, on Nov. 17. Walter Keller, a John Deere Collectors Center member from Forest Junction, Wis., paid $170,000 for the "GP" wide-tread tractor fitted with experimental mechanisms for over-the-hood steering and with rear wheels that could be adjusted for working between rows of various widths. This is the highest price an antique John Deere tractor has brought to date.
Over-the-hood steering went into production on "GP" wide-tread tractors in 1932, and considerably refined adjustable rear-wheel tread debuted when the Model "A" tractor was introduced in 1934. A 1931 photograph in the Deere & Company Archives shows this same tractor equipped with different front wheels. Peter Leick of Davenport saved the rare tractor from a scrapyard cutting torch an unknown number of years ago, preserving it in his garage. Bidders from across the Midwest attended the auction, and other hopefuls placed their bids via cell phones. (Nov. 26, 2001)
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