I was sent this by a modeling mate, and although I knew some of the history of the aircraft involved, there was a lot therein that was new to me and possibly to many of you, as well. My idol Jimmy Stewart owned one of the Mustangs in the article, and I have read accounts that he sometimes flew it to various bases when he was on active duty with the AF reserve. It is interesting that the P-51B's and C's always seemed to capable of higher speeds than the D's and K's- maybe due to the much smoother airflow over the fuselage compared to the bubble canopy versions. A very exciting time when high performance aircraft could be bought for a pittance and modified for pylon and distance racing. With the 130/150 octane avgas readily available at that time, those V-1650's could really produce some horsepower! I hope you enjoy reading the histories of these Mustangs, and they would make interesting modeling projects!
Mike
https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/2020/01/01/