Not the postwar conversions built for competitions, but a British planned development of the P-51 Mustang during WWII. They even came as far as building a mock-up if my sources are correct. The engine was planned to be placed amidships and the cockpit was to be where the engine originally was. They calculated that a top speed of 805 km/h would be attainable. I would really like to see a picture of the mock-up.
Surely it can't accurately be called a P51 when it is such a different design. :x (actually it has more than a passing resemblance to a Gloucester Meteor).
Thanks for the picture and the link. I remember an interview with a pilot from one of the first squadrons to convert to the Meteor, and he said they were very uncomfortable with being placed in the front of the plane to begin with. But, as they became used to it, they also learned to appreciate the much improved view the forward placement of the cockpit gave them. This Mustang really showed some potential, too bad it never was built, but I have to ask the same question I saw someone ask on the other forum. Why didn't they just place the Griffon in the front, like they did postwar on racing aircraft?
An evolutionary successor to the Bell P-39 Airacobra? Perhaps they even added a turbo-supercharger... as originally intended. Tim
