Precious Metal is a custom-built racing aircraft based on the North American P-51 Mustang. Design and development Precious Metal was built by World Jet Inc., a company owned by Don Whittington, in 1988. Its fuselage, acquired from Tallmantz Aviation, was from a P-51D. The aircraft was fitted with stock P-51 wings, and its powerplant, a Rolls-Royce Griffon 57A driving contra-rotating propellers, came from an Avro Shackleton. In its original form, the Precious Metal was fitted with the P-51H tail from Whittington's original Precious Metal aircraft, and therefore also had the same registration. History Precious Metal made its first flight on August 10, 1988, with the race number 9. It made its debut at the Reno Air Races on September 12 of that year. The plane shared its name, race number, and registration with Whittington's other P-51 race plane, leading many to believe that it was the same aircraft. During a qualifying run, the aircraft achieved a speed of , the highest recorded qualifying speed at the time. However, its success would be short-lived, as during the race the aircraft suffered an engine failure and was forced to make a belly landing. Following the race, Precious Metal was taken to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for repairs. The P-51H tail was removed and refitted to the original Precious Metal, while the Griffon-powered Precious Metal was fitted with a standard P-51D tail. In April 1989, the aircraft was officially registered N6WJ, with its type designation being P-51XR. The aircraft was supposed to be flown by Bill Whittington in the 1993 Reno Air Races, but it never appeared at the race. It finally made an appearance in the 1995 Reno Air Races with the race number 38. For this race, the tall P-51H tail was once again fitted, but the aircraft did not carry the Precious Metal name, instead racing as the "World Jet" P-51. Don Whittington came first in the Unlimited Silver Class race, but forfeited his win to race in the Gold class, coming sixth. Don Whittington lost interest in air racing following the death of Gary Levitz in 1999 and put Precious Metal in storage. Levitz, a friend of Whittington, died during the Reno Air Races when his own Griffon-powered Mustang, Miss Ashley II, broke up in flight. In 2000, Precious Metal was bought by Ron Buccarelli, who intended to return the aircraft to Reno in 2001. The 2001 Reno Air Races