XP-82 for ssle

[Firebird]

Yes, by far it’s a record!

A far cry from the mere £100,000 Kermit paid for RS712 back in 1986 when there was no one else interested in buying an airworthy Mossie.

[JimH]

IMHO...what Tom Rielly and his crew created was monumental. It is a unique airplane. However, one doesn't just "roll it out of the hangar and go fly", it's an event, much like owning a racing Mustang, it's built for show. The market is limited. The known people in a position to afford this aircraft aren't looking for a complex, rare engined, one of a kind airplane. The current trend in ownership is toward "provenance" and historic value. Let's face it, this P-82 is a cool airplane but it has no history. A lot of money is being spent, or is going to be spent right now on P-47s, P-38s, Corsair, and Hellcats. It's hard to speculate on a potential buyer...but someone is out there that will take this on, and I'd be willing to bet it will be someone we have never heard of. This airplane redefines complex...for the trouble, and for $12 million, it's easier to have a Mustang scratchbuilt and still have gas money in the bank. It will be fun to watch this play out.

Jim

[JohnB]

It will be fun to watch this play out.
Jim

I agree. But I doubt if we'll ever know the sale price. The warbird community is pretty tight lipped when it comes to prices actually paid for aircraft.

I write for a antique automobile magazine and cover some high end auctions, so I know with cars, even some pretty historic/rare ones (like the Bullitt Mustang or the early Shelby race Mustang both of which sold for $3 million+), if they sell at auction the public gets an idea of their value.

[stryper]

Sorry to go off on a tangent, but there are a few posts in this thread about not getting a return on your investment with restorations. I watched a video of when Rod Lewis was down at AvSpecs checking on his Mosquito restoration and they mentioned the final cost to be around $10m. When they asked Mr. Lewis about it, he said something to the sort of that it was worth it. Not owning it very long after it returned to the states, I wonder if he lost money, broke even, or made a profit, when he sold it to Mr. Somers?

Yes, I know on good authority he made a good profit. There would have been no sale otherwise.

Thanks for the info!

[Mark Allen M]

It's the perfect Mustang to own to take people up for a ride that may have bad breathe, B.O., rotten bowels or a weak stomach. Other than that it's quite useless.

[phil65]

It's the perfect Mustang to own to take people up for a ride that may have bad breathe, B.O., rotten bowels or a weak stomach. Other than that it's quite useless.

The perfect aircraft for 2020....

Phil

[hurricane_yank]

It's the perfect Mustang to own to take people up for a ride that may have bad breathe, B.O., rotten bowels or a weak stomach. Other than that it's quite useless.

Unless you are the one tasked with cleaning it afterwards...

[Randy Haskin]

It's the perfect Mustang to own to take people up for a ride that may have bad breathe, B.O., rotten bowels or a weak stomach. Other than that it's quite useless.

Unless you are the one tasked with cleaning it afterwards...

I have given quite a lot of rides in USAF fighters and trainers.

Those who got sick during the flight and weren't able to contain their bodily fluids were sometimes given a bucket and a rag to clean themselves up afterward.

[bdk]

The current trend in ownership is toward "provenance" and historic value. Let's face it, this P-82 is a cool airplane but it has no history.

I thought this was the XP-82? So the XP-55 and XP-56 have no historical value either? Besides that there is a good story to tell on how the aircraft got saved to include the Soplata connection. It sure attracted a lot of attention at Oshkosh.