A vintage biplane which appeared in the iconic Oscar-winning movie, Out of Africa, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep has sold for £416,000.
The De Havilland DH60GM Gipsy Moth was built in 1929 and it can still FLY.
In total 1,535 of the two-seater, 102mph planes were built.
But this example is one of the most famous, thanks to its starring role in the Sydney Pollack-directed movie.
It had to be dismantled and rebuilt so it could be shipped to Kenya for the filming.
The aircraft was tipped to sell for as little as £110,000 ($139,000), but it sold for nearly four times the price.
It was sold for £416,000 ($527,500) by auctioneers RM Sotheby’s.
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Other models have sold for as little as £90,000 ($114,000) but don’t have the Hollywood history.
All proceeds from the sale will go towards funding a new rhino sanctuary in Kenya, Africa.
Out of Africa won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actress for Streep, now 74.
Movie great Redford, 87, signed a letter in support of the sale.
He said: “This plane is a symbol of my first introduction to Kenya and its extraordinary landscapes, people and wildlife.
“It also helped millions of people around the world see the beauty of Kent on film for the first time.
“And serves a much-needed reminder that nature is precious and needs to be conserved before it’s too late.”
A Sotheby’s spokesperson said: “One of the most famous models of aviation’s cradle era, the De Havilland Gipsy Moth occupies the same space in its category as the Model T Ford in automobiles.
“Hundreds of examples were built and were flown by several significant aviators of the era, including the noted British aviatrix Amy Johnson, who in 1930 became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in her Gipsy Moth ‘Jason.’
“It was later one of the first American Moths to be brought to the United Kingdom, where it flew for a time while still on its American registration, ‘N585M.’
“It was eventually registered in the United Kingdom using its present number, “G-AAMY,’ honouring Amy Johnson, in May 1980.
“Then-owner Cliff Lovell supplied the aircraft in early 1985 for the filming of Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the epic love story of the Danish countess Karen Blixen and British aviator Denys Finch-Hatton.
“Reportedly Mr Lovell rebuilt the aircraft’s engine before the plane was dismantled and shipped in two crates to Frankfurt, then flown in a German cargo plane to Nairobi, Africa, where it was reassembled and re-rigged for filming.
“Flown by Lovell and Jens Hassel, it appears prominently in numerous scenes within the film, for which it was temporarily re-lettered as ‘G-AAMT.’
“Many of the film’s most memorable images are of this majestic aircraft in-flight, both in Nairobi and in Tanzania’s Serengeti Game Park.
“It was also utilized at Shepperton Studios and Walkeridge Farm for close-up sequence shooting, making it one of the few ‘hero’ vehicles to have been used for both action and close-up shots.
“Out of Africa would go on to win several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography, the latter an award that the late David Watkin specifically attributed to his work with the Gipsy Moth.”
They added: “G-AAMY is sold today on behalf of the owner to raise awareness and funds for the creation of a vast new rhinoceros sanctuary in Central Kenya.
“Returning critically endangered rhinos to the Segera Conservancy as part of the Zeitz Foundation’s effort to create one of the largest such sanctuaries in the world.
“One hundred per cent of the hammer price will go towards the formation of the sanctuary.
“The biplane, entirely operational and last inspected for airworthiness in April 2022, boasts a unique American-made steel construction, an adaptation for durability in warmer climates.”
The auction took place in Miami, Florida, US, on Saturday (1 Mar)
The guide price was between £110,000 ($139,000) and £172,000 ($218,000).
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