History Part of P-51 fuselage on Ford frame/running gear

This is an odd one - we're used to seeing belly tanks wrapped around automotive engines and frames but a portion of of a complete fuselage was certainly thinking out of the box.

It doesn't seem to have caught on though.

Picture date 1947, Illinois, airframe seems to be P-51D Mustang

 

neat! sure needs to be channeled, though

 

Interesting exhaust. Also headlight appears to be aiming for the sky.

 

Is that Chip?

 

Craig Breedlove?

 

Easy, still in the mock-up stage!

 

that's plane crazy

 

Plus no fire wall will make it a tad breeze in there

 

Considering that decent P-51s are going for $1M+ it might be worth tracking down the story.

Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

That chunk of fuselage, some paperwork and a couple million dollars and you could have a brand "new" Mustang!
A friend had one in his garage... a very long term project and since he's 80 now I doubt it'll ever get finished.

 

That Perspex seems to be slightly cracked....lol!

 

Late 40's early 50's you could have bought that part of the plane for a few bucks at a war surplus yard. Probably what was left of a damaged plane. Goes right with the concept of using a cheap light weight body on a race car to go fast though.

 

Someone is flying a P-51 around with a Ford body

 

Like my first ex-wife, some things are a better fantasy than a reality

 

He looks like a young Orson Welles, or Van Heflin.

 

He looks like Dan-O on Hawaii 5-0, damn, can’t remember the guy’s real name right now.....

 

Did anyone else notice the steering column modified with double roller chain drive to center the steering column? Wasn't just a photo op.

 

That is the 1st bubbletop show car ever created.

 

I would rather have the P51

 

Fits like a glove!

 

Yes I did, looks like what we did in the Dwarf Car, to speed up the steering.

 

Cool....

 

I hope that he did not cut up a complete aircraft for this. My uncle, at the end of WWII obtain a Bell P-39 Airacobra from Government surplus for 700 dollars and flew it back to the family farm. It sat in a barn with the wingtips enclose in two sheds because the barn was not wide enough. Even though he was a career pilot for the AAF and AF he never flew that thing again. I use to fly it all the time, never leaving the barn. When my Uncle pass away the family sold the aircraft. It was a funny aircraft because the engine was behind the pilot.

 

P-51, "Cadillac of the sky"powered by a flathead Ford.....O K, if done right. I remember 1963 at Don Scott field in Columbus Ohio, a privately owned 51 stopped there for fuel....awesome just to watch the start up.

 

Back then, the salvage yards were littered with WW2 airframes.

 

I don't think idea is gonna fly.

 

That’s not a head light, it’s a take-off light.

 

Gee ... I think I prefer it this way ... me in 1968!

 

I wonder what they said at the DMV when he applied for a license?

 

James MacArthur. "Book'em"