A P-51 mustang, the most advanced fighter of its time, cost something like $50,000 per unit.
If you believe government inflation statistics, that would be $760,000 dollars today.
I would buy one!
The workhorses were the P47s and F4Us.
Every single fighter pilot flying jets today would give just about anything to fly solo in one of those.
“A P-51 mustang, the most advanced fighter of its time, cost something like $50,000 per unit.”
After the war they were practically giving them away. Many flying enthusiasts bought them because of their image and cheap price. Same built for the military plane, same Merlin engine just without the guns and bomb and rocket mounts.
A retired jet jockey bought one in the late 90’s. After his first flight in it he said he would never pilot another plane, the P-51 was that good.
Incidentally, the last P-51 Mustang was retired from service in 1984 by the Dominican Air Force.