DH 60GMW Gipsy Moth Bipe On The Block In February

Movie buffs and pilots will both be interested in one of the items to be auctioned by Bonhams in February ... a 1929 de Havilland DH 60GMW Gipsy Moth flown by character Denys Finch Hatton (played by Robert Redford) in the seven-time Oscar-winning 1985 film "Out of Africa."

The airplane will go on sale at the Bonhams auction at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, from 6th to 7th February 2013, where bidding is expected to be in excess of $180,000.

The auction house says the 1929 American Moth Corporation de Havilland 60GMW Gipsy Moth is offered in excellent condition with a permit to fly. It still wears its yellow-and-black livery and registration G-AAMY (in homage to pioneering English aviatrix Amy Johnson) as seen in the Sydney Pollack-directed movie, which went on to win seven Oscars in the year of its release. In the film, the two-seater bi-plane is piloted by Redford's character over the Kenyan savanna.
 
The DH-60 Moth measures 24ft long by nearly 9ft high, and has a 30ft wingspan. It is capable of a maximum speed of 91 knots.

Also on the block for the sale is a Bugatti Type 54 that raced at Monza on 6th September 1931 in the hands of Achille Varzi, which is expected to bring between $3.24 and $4.5 million ... just in case you've got a little extra money left over after the holidays.

(Image provided by Bonhams)

FMI: www.bonhams.com