WIX Archives

Re: Cutting it fine - English Law.

Posted by PeterA on Sat Aug 31, 2002 11:45:38 AM

In reply top Cutting it fine posted by Gregory on Sat Aug 31, 2002 10:24:26 AM


Hello Gregory,
The court case of the famous 'Bentley Number 1' of a few years back established that where there is continuous history and lineage despite any or all the parts being replaced over time and restoration, it is the original.
Let us be charitable here and say the the DM fuselage was attached to the MH367 restored bulkhead. If you do not give these ?1m projects an RAF serial and just say they are new or replica Spitfires you can be sure the world will view them in a 3rd class category with a corresponding 3rd class value. The net result of which will be investor/enthusiasts will not not invest and we will all be the losers. A mathematician will then be able to tell you that, at our current loss rate, when the last Spitfire will cease to fly - 2109 or whatever.
The ones we should all be concerned about are the ones without a continuos thread of provenance, however thin, but claiming otherewise.
For what it is worth I believe an original ME262 'tub'incorporated in to a 'new' Me262 fuselage has every right to be identified and to carry the serial number of the original. Open, upfont and not pretending to be anything other than that. Future purchasers will make their judgement on value and clearly knowing the background they would value it accordingly.
And one last point - There is a repair scheme in the Spitfire Unit Users repairs (battle damage manual) that does just that - cuts a frame 5 bulkhead off one Spitfire and attaches it by splice to the rear 6-19 of another. From memory there is a photo in one of Alfred Price's book showing a line up of such bulkheads at a Civilian Repair Organisation facility.
Peter

Peter -
:
: I agree that very few aircraft flying today are 100% what
: they were when they left the factory and Alex Henshaw took
: them up for a test flight.
:
: However, at the risk of repeating myself, I think that the
: overriding criteria must be continuity - the tracing of a
: n unbroken line from factory onwards. I wouldn't say that
: the resparring of MH434 a few years back makes it a replic
: a, but surely a brand new fuselage with most of a firewall
: with provenance is something in a different league altoge
: ther.
:
: Or, to put it differently, would any of us say that incorp
: orating an original "bathtub" cockpit in a brand new Me 26
: 2 airframe would allow a reasonable claim to it being an o
: riginal airframe?
:
: Continuity, it's all about continuity. Price, value and co
: llectability notwithstanding.
:
: Gregory

Follow Ups: