Mirage IIIE fighter to go under hammer

An Auction ouse in Cannes has an unusual lot in its Easter sale – a Mirage IIIE fighter plane.

French Air Force Retired Dassault Mirage IIIE (Photo by wikiwand.com)

The plane, currently owned by a collector in Nice and housed near Cannes-Mandelieu airport, is expected to fetch between €30,000 and €50,000 when it goes under the hammer at the Besch auction house next weekend.

The aircraft has been dismantled, auctioneer Jean-Pierre Besch told regional newspaper Nice-Matin, and it is estimated that it would cost a further €20,000 to reassemble. Its new owner will also have to obtain a weapons permit to keep the aircraft – even though it cannot fly.

But such news has not put off potential buyers. Mr Besch said: “I have already received requests from artists and gun collectors.”

The first Mirage IIIE went into service with the French air force in 1964.

Source: By www.connexionfrance.com –  21 March 2016