Well, if you have an extra $4.5 million, you can get yourself the last plane of its kind.
We’re talking an original P-51 Mustang fighter, with all the armor plate and no restoration. Any World War II buff could tell you that this plane was a scourge to the Nazis over Europe. But it also saw action in the Pacific, where it dropped bombs on enemy forces during the Korean War — and even saw combat action over two decades after the end of World War II.
According to a report by aerodynamicmedia.com, the Mustang in question, a “D” model, formerly served with the Guatemalan Air Force until 1972. Aviation historian Joe Baugher notes that the Guatemalan Air Force then sold their surviving planes to Don Hull.
The P-51D was equipped with a Rolls Royce Merlin engine, and was armed with six M2 .50-caliber machine guns. It could carry up to 2,000 pounds of bombs (Baugher notes that the Mustang started out as a dive bomber designated the A-36).
With a range of up to 2,300 miles, this plane could stick with heavy bombers like the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator on their missions deep into Nazi territory – and B-29 Superfortresses over Japan.
Since 1983, the P-51 up for sale has been stored in Texas. The company marketing it, Platinum Fighter Sales, notes that it also has “approximately 20 Merlin engines and tons of Merlin spares including Transport Heads and Banks. Also included are several containers worth of P-51 airframe parts.” The parts are reportedly either new or zero-timed. One thing is missing: The six M2s do not appear to be in the wings.
In short, you now have the chance to fix up and fly a legend of World War II that also honorably served for another 18 years. With World War II planes becoming rarer and rarer, this plane – and the haul of spare parts – could be a huge bargain at the asking price.