Psst…fancy a piece of Concorde?
Want to plant Concorde’s pointed nose in your garden or turn the captain’s seat into your living room chair?
Well, if you have the money you can because more than two hundred souvenirs of the supersonic passenger jet are up for grabs in Paris this month.
Christie’s auctioneers will sell everything from the plane’s instruction manual to the engine at an auction on 15 November.
Concorde was put into retirement last month as already high running costs escalated after an Air France Concorde crashed in July 2000, killing 113 people.
Plane-maker Airbus this year sealed the jet’s fate, saying it would stop supplying parts and maintenance.
Super sonic speeds
From Saturday, the curious can wander around exhibits which will include wheels and doors as well as the china place settings which the world’s rich and famous used while crossing the Atlantic at over 2000 kph.
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“We hope this landmark sale will contribute to the memories of this human and technological adventure as well as raising funds for good causes,” Air France President Jean-Cyril Spinetta said.
The proceeds of the sale will go to the charitable Air France foundation, which supports various childrens’ causes.
The cabin mach-meter, which allowed passengers to track the speed of the jet as it broke through the sound barrier, is estimated to sell at $1700, while the engine could raise around $100,000.
Last flight
“It was quite difficult. Some pieces are very heavy, others are very large,” Emmanuelle Vidal, business director at the auction house, said.
“We had to make sure to set up all these things in a harmonious way.”
Vidal said she hoped to raise around $170,000 in total.
At the lower end of the price range, some pipes and tools could find a new home for less than $100, well below the price of a return ticket over the Atlantic, for which passengers had to pay more than $11,000.
Global media and thousands of Concorde fans around the world watched the supersonic airliner complete its last commercial flight over the Atlantic last month.
In Britain, British Airways Concorde souvenirs will be auctioned on 1 December, with prices ranging from $50 to $60,000.