Lockheed P 38 Lightning in 1947 (currently shiny aluminum and owned by Red Bull) in the 1947 Thompson Trophy Race

Constructed as a P-38L-5-LO by Lockheed at Burbank, California, USA. Circa July 1945

 Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Army Air Force with s/n 44-53254.

1945 Converted to a F-5G-6-LO.

October 1945 Transferred to War Assets Administration, Kingman Army Airfield, AZ.

20 February 1946 Transferred to Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Kingman AAF, AZ.

April 1946

Sold to Lilee Products, Chicago, IL with c/r N25Y. Purchased by Lilee for $1,500.

From September 1946 to 1953 To J. D. Reed Co, Houston, TX.

http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=8817

In September 1945, the P-38 F-5G-6-LO with serial number 44-53254 was surplussed from the Air Force and registered as civil aircraft N25Y by the Lilee Products Co. in Chicago, Illinois who owned the plane for a time, however the story of this plane becomes much more interesting when it was sold to J.D. Reed of Houston, Texas.

 J.D. Reed was an air racing enthusiast who was successful in recruiting equally passionate pilots, including Charlie “Firewall” Walling. At the same time, Reed worked to further enhance the speed of the plane with a modified carburetor cover to allow additional water injection and the addition of aerodynamically designed propellers and wing tips. His enthusiasm and fine-tuning paid off and Walling achieved 2nd place at the 1947 Miami Air Races – and at the Sohio-Race in Cleveland in the same year.

This P-38 was raced in this paint scheme in early 1947 and with this nose configuration. It was repainted and modified in mid-1947and became the fastest P-38 in history.Flown by Charlie “Firewall” Walling,it hit 440MPH on the straights at low level.

http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/fun-facts/red-bulls-lockheed-p-38-lightning-1948.html