A weekend fantasy question:
If you were a multi-millionaire in about 1966 and wanted to start a flying Unlimited Racer collection/museum knowing full well you could lay enough cash on the table to buy any EXISTING old or active racer that was still available between then and 1996, what 10 racers would you buy and restore? Here's the twist, every year you would bring out in rotation a different one of your collection's racers for a go at Reno.
They wouldn't have to be the fastest, just your favorites...and select a variety. You have a 30-year span-get started!
My ten:
1) Anson Johnson's scoopless Mustang #45, N13Y.
2) Larry Haven's P-63 before it crashed, but put in Charles Tucker's race #28 colors.
3) Lefty's P-38, NX25Y restored to the J.D. Reed colors of the Flying Red Horse.
4) P-39Q Cobra II before Mike Carroll got it, and restored to 1946 colors.
5) The 1947 winning F2G #74 from Walter Soplata's collection.
6) The Mira Slovak #80 Bearcat.
7) Chuck Lyford's #8 Mustang restored in Challenger colors.
8) Ed Weiner's checkerboard #49 P-51D
9) Cliff Cummin's #69 Miss Candace. (with Galloping Ghost colors on one side and the Mojave '75 colors on the other).
10) Miss Merced Sea Fury #87 in Sherm Cooper's 1970 colors.
Oh boy, I guess it's way too hard to cut this list to ten. I left out the #37 P-51D NX37492 Jay Dee, the #46 P-51C Mantz Bendix racer, #84 Stiletto, Greeenamyer's Conquest One, and Loening's #2 P-51D in Miss Salmon River colors. And would Jack have sold me Tsunami for any price before it was too late?
If you were a multi-millionaire in about 1966 and wanted to start a flying Unlimited Racer collection/museum knowing full well you could lay enough cash on the table to buy any EXISTING old or active racer that was still available between then and 1996, what 10 racers would you buy and restore? Here's the twist, every year you would bring out in rotation a different one of your collection's racers for a go at Reno.
They wouldn't have to be the fastest, just your favorites...and select a variety. You have a 30-year span-get started!
My ten:
1) Anson Johnson's scoopless Mustang #45, N13Y.
2) Larry Haven's P-63 before it crashed, but put in Charles Tucker's race #28 colors.
3) Lefty's P-38, NX25Y restored to the J.D. Reed colors of the Flying Red Horse.
4) P-39Q Cobra II before Mike Carroll got it, and restored to 1946 colors.
5) The 1947 winning F2G #74 from Walter Soplata's collection.
6) The Mira Slovak #80 Bearcat.
7) Chuck Lyford's #8 Mustang restored in Challenger colors.
8) Ed Weiner's checkerboard #49 P-51D
9) Cliff Cummin's #69 Miss Candace. (with Galloping Ghost colors on one side and the Mojave '75 colors on the other).
10) Miss Merced Sea Fury #87 in Sherm Cooper's 1970 colors.
Oh boy, I guess it's way too hard to cut this list to ten. I left out the #37 P-51D NX37492 Jay Dee, the #46 P-51C Mantz Bendix racer, #84 Stiletto, Greeenamyer's Conquest One, and Loening's #2 P-51D in Miss Salmon River colors. And would Jack have sold me Tsunami for any price before it was too late?
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