It's really hard to know for sure, from one restoration to the next, just how much original 40's metal still remains today in any one particular airframe, post-restoration, unless you were the one of course doing the work. It is a discussion/matter I try not to get into too much since it can be quite subjective. If a Mustang contains 3 structural parts from the original airframe it claims to be, but the rest had to be replaced or built new, some would say it is still the original and others would say it is not. If a Mustang contains 25% of its structural parts from the airframe it claims to be, but the rest had to be replaced or built new, some would say it is still the original and others would say it is not. I'm not sure where the line stands where all parties come together, or even if there is one (there are no 100% original Mustangs flying). There are some however which are much easier to define as new-builds, like the airframes "Miss Velma" (now "Contrary Mary"), "Dakota Kid II" and "The Millie G", which all started in the 90's as new-build projects in North Dakota, using identities from long-lost airframes, and have always been described in detail as such.
The most "new-build" airframes I'm aware of are the ones where if you look at registry sites like MustangsMustangs, the history abruptly begins at some point in the 1990's or 2000's, where there is no previous history of ownership listed, or there is history from the 1940's/1950's, but there is no further history until the year the restoration/build began. Of course there are others which began as complete airframes, with long histories/provenance prior to restoration, but because of corrosion much of the airframe had to be replaced, and then there are individuals who will argue whether it should be considered the original airframe or not depending on likelihood of how much is original or not in the restored airframe.
Based on my own judgement, I'd say the baseline likely stands at somewhere close to 30 that are flying today which really didn't exist prior to being built within the last 20-30 years.
Last edited by JohnTerrell on Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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