A fully restored Hurricane fighter plane from World War II is to be auctioned in Australia, organisers said Friday, with bids expected to reach up to four million dollars (3.5 million US). The 1940 Hawker Hurricane MkIIA was a veteran of four major campaigns during the Battles of Britain and France, and was brought down by a shell in the winter of 1943 over the Murmansk area of Russia.
The wreck was recovered in 1991 and later bought by New Zealand aviation enthusiast Tim Wallis and restored by Air New Zealand engineers to full flying condition, said Bonhams & Goodman auction house spokeswoman Catherine Davison. It is one of only 11 airworthy Hurricanes in the world, said Davison.
"Hurricanes served in France before and during the German Blitzkrieg, were prominent at Dunkirk and in the closing stages of the Battle of France," she said. "This is an interesting and exciting campaign to undertake and I am sure that a discerning buyer will take on the custodianship of this historically significant plane," she added. The auction is scheduled to take place in Melbourne on Sunday evening, with bids expected in the range of two and four million Australian dollars.
Comments
Comments are closed.