1952 Twin Beech Seen in Ford v Ferrari Used to Be a Haunted House, And You Can Have It

I'm not sure how many of you can forget the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari. With brilliant acting, relatively sound historical accuracy, and a top-notch cast, it managed to climb to the top of the list of preferences for many of us, at least when it comes to movies that deal with the automotive industry. It was even nominated for the Oscar for Best Movie of the Year but lost to Green Book.

Ford v Ferrari has many scenes worth remembering, but few of them are so insane in intensity and amusement as the one where Carroll Shelby flies a plane. It happens right before the launch of the new Ford Mustang, and the American automotive icon, together with a bunch of Ford executives, are expected to arrive on the scene.

Shelby, played by Matt Damon, convinces the plane's pilot to let him "take a shot at the landing," to the amusement of Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal). By the time the plane lands, Iacocca and the other people on the plane are no longer so amused (check the video below the text for more).

For those of you with an eye for details, the aircraft shown in this scene of Ford v Ferrari might seem familiar. That's because it is no stranger to the movie industry, having appeared over the years in some 25 movies, both TV series and cinema flicks.

The aircraft is by birth a Beechcraft Model 18, a flying machine that was made by the Beech Aircraft Corporation between 1937 and 1970. Large numbers of them were made (around 9,000 units, making it one of the most widespread light aircraft in the world), and they served the needs of both the military and the civilian world over the years. The family is also known in the industry as the Twin Beech thanks to its bi-motor configuration.

This particular example was born to serve the needs of the Royal Canadian Air Force, which employed it as a navigation trainer. It stayed in active service until 1966, when it was brought into the United States. Here it was turned into a haunted house to be enjoyed on Halloween nights.

It did that for about two decades, until it was rescued by its current owner, who got hold of it in 1985. The plane only needed one year of love and care to be brought back to shape, and landed its first movie gig in 1986, when it appeared in an episode of the TV series Crime Story.

That was the ramp that would propel the Twin Beach to celebrity status. Since then, it has been used in scenes of Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994), Terminal Velocity (1994), Man on the Moon, and even an episode of House (2005). Some of America's biggest advertisers, including Pepsi, Honda, and Bud Light have hired it for their commercials as well.

So, why are we talking about the plane now? Simple: remember how we started all this, by saying the tastes of car and aviation enthusiasts don't mix? They'll have to, as the Twin Beach is for sale during Barrett-Jackson's mammoth… car auction taking place later this month in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The plane is sent on the block in restored condition. It still packs the pair of Pratt & Whitney R-985 engines, which back in their day developed 450 horsepower each. They both spin Hamilton Standard two-blade propellers, which in turn pull the plane down the runway on Cleveland wheels.

The interior of the plane is as impressive as you'd expect from a star of this caliber. A burgundy carpet runs the length of the cabin (and even extends on the fold-down step door), and the same color, with gray accents, is mirrored on the five reclining seats fitted inside.

The cockpit, the same one where Matt Damon stood, is packed full of all the hardware that a machine needs for proper operation, including navigation and communication instruments, an instrument flight rules panel, a transponder, and an autopilot system with electric trim.

The last time someone looked (in October last year), the total number of flight hours on this aircraft's air frame was 8,344. Close to 700 hours of flight time have passed since the last major overhaul performed on the two engines. Yet the seller claims the Twin Beech has only been flown for one hour during the past five years.

Barrett-Jackson is selling the aircraft with no reserve, meaning it's impossible to get an estimate of how much it might fetch. We will come back to this story with this important piece of info once we learn it.

Update: sold for $253,000.