Warbird Information Exchange

Looking at the web site of one of the warbird sales organizations they have a P-47 sold at $1,800,000 , a Bearcat at $2,200,000 and 2 Corsairs one at $2,5000,00 and the other at $1,950,000.
These planes were offered at those prices. Any idea of what the actual sales price was.
I guess I am off about a million dollars on my estimates for each one

Pretty close to what they were asking from the information that I have.

Sometimes I think Provenance's sole purpose of existence is to see how far they can successfully push the upper limit of the warbird market values. More power to them I suppose, but I'll bet you every guy with an unrestored Corsair just doubled the dollar amount they'd accept if they were approached with an offer to buy.

Look at it this way. It's already realistic to consider having a Mustang or an FW-190 built from scratch for the price you'd pay for an original. In the future if brand new, zero-time P-51's are being sold for $2 million, I can't imagine there will be too many average enthusiasts stumbling over each other to pay double that for a real example (especially when the only difference in many cases is a data plate and the bragging rights that come with it).

Once the market finally justifies the R&D needed to successfully tool up and manufacture new F4U wing spars, the Corsair will surely join the ranks of the Mustang and others in terms of new-production aircraft. At one time, such a prospect seemed miles away to me, but at $2.5M+ the market is getting real close to being able to bear the expense IMO!

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

as the saying goes..... you can ask what you want for what your selling, but that doesn't mean you'll get your price. i think the there will be an eventual peak in $$$$ price & very few will be able to roll with the log, thus a falling out. it's already happening in the rv / marine business, the average person just can't absorb the costs with the prices of gas, maintenance, & the prices of raw material from the myriad of products used to maintain these toys, not to mention warbirds too.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

I would LOVE to see a modern production, zero-time P-47M model, the "hot rod" Thunderbolt. What a beautiful sight!!

Now, I am not saying that I could afford said T-Bolt, but I would really enjoy seeing and hearing it after some rich bast*rd shelled out the dough for it.

Even more awesome would be a squadron of new production P-47's-----all in the air at the same time.

Want to know where the money is going these days? http://www.barrett-jackson.com

I see Provenance is selling a TF-51 Mustang for a cool 2.4 million! That is alot of money!

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Does anyone know if the phrase "zero time" in many of the ads has any basis either in fact or legally. I see this a lot, but as I understand it, legally only the factory can really zero time something that in fact is used. Thus a factory reman engine from Cont or Lyc could be zero time, but not a custom overhaul even if it was a better job. How could you have a zero time or new Mustang unless done by N. American? If it is built of all new parts, it is a replica, and if original used main spar or an engine it's not new.The only way I could see it is if you had all NOS parts. Perhaps when you get to a certiain price range it becomes creative like a used Cadillac is " pre-owned".

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

O Hrs SMOH.

SMOH is a meaningful term when applied to an engine overhaul, but you don't "overhaul" a wing or fuselage or entire airplane. You can restore or iran, but it won't be new or zero time. It is common to advertise a plane for sale, say my Beech 1900 total time airframe, 1900 engine, 850 SMOH. I don't see how one could claim the airframe could have zero time no matter how it was restored.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

I would bet that the original airframes are getting really tired now. 60 year old plus aluminum is really getting brittle.Extrusions will be an issue in the not to distant future.Steel forgings will never go bad.

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Hang The Expense

That assumes that any of the old metal is still in the airplane. Most of the Mustang rebuilds I've seen in the past couple years use a LOT....A LOT....of new metal.

Besides, North American/Boeing doesn't own the Mustang any more!

If you had the original NA drawings and specifications for building and testing a Mustang, and you took an existing Mustang and "rebuilt" it to the drawings and specifications outlined in the NA data. Then the aircraft could be considered as new "0" time. Of course it would mean taking every assembly and sub-assembly back to the original specifications.

The FAA considers the word rebuilt to mean remanufactured and tested to the original design specifications, therefore it can be considered new.

Overhauled and repaired do not get you to "0" time.

I have to deal with these minor FAA FAR interpretations everyday with our FAA Parts Manufacturer Authorization.

The ole saying; This is the original hatchet that George Washington used to chop down the cherry tree, Head replaced twice and the handle three times. Old Ironsides is a prime example of original new. Hms Victory is another.Both beautiful ships but not much of what you see fought during their wartime service.

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Hang The Expense

Huh? How did you reach these conclusions?