One of my dad’s dreams was to fly on the Concorde. He used to talk about it all the time. In fact, as a child I had visions of winning the lottery or becoming so successful in my career that I could buy him a ticket and fulfill his dream to ride on the supersonic jet.
So much for that idea.
However, I could settle for the next best thing–buying him a piece of the legendary aircraft. Then, again, I probably don’t even have enough to buy him a Concorde toilet seat. Yes, even the now-defunct needle nose airplane’s toilet seat is on sale this weekend during an auction in France.
A 1.2-ton landing gear from the Concorde is perhaps the standout piece up for bid during the four-day auction. But, according to the sale catalog, there are also hundreds of other spare parts from the popular aircraft on sale as well–835 to be exact. Including a Mach-monitoring speedometer, a windshield, horizontal situation indicators, seats, a cabin oven and plate-and-silverware sets.
Some of the more notable items up for bid include the plane’s nose landing gear. It measures more than 12-feet in height and is sold with its wooden box. The main landing gear is also up for bid and is valued between $2,800 and $4,200. Event organizers say most of the parts are valued at between $70 and $425 and they are expecting the sale will raise about $337,000. Proceeds from the auction will go toward a yet-to-be built airplane museum and park in Toulouse, France.
According to the auction catalog, all of the parts up for sale bear the Concorde name. So if you are as crazy about the supersonic jet as my father or you just have a passion for collecting souvenirs you might be tempted to dig deep for a piece of history. Though, one piece of the Concorde that will not be up for sale is the plane’s trademark needle nose. One of those sold at auction a few years ago and raked in more than a half-million dollars.
That may sound outrageous to someone who had no interest in the historic plane. But, for people like my dad the Concorde epitomized the miracle of modern day flight. After all, what other vehicle could cruise at a speed of 1,350 miles per hour and get travelers from London to New York in less than 3 hours?
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