It is a pretty and special airplane. It was specially modified with full wet wings so it did not have to carry drop tanks for the Bendix races it won twice and came it third once. It only came in third that time because Paul Mantz had two of these C models prepared identical and changed the racing numbers and flew the other to the win. Charles Blair bought it after they canceled the Bendix because he had devised the navigation by the Sun over the North Pole and needed a plane to be able to fly nonstop to test it,and it was available. It is standard navigation now but he invented it in 1951. Blair was a China Clipper pilot and married to Maureen O' Hara.