Whilst talking cars at the weekend It was awesome to see the something different in person the Spitfire MJ271
The "Silver Spitfire" MJ271 was originally built in 1943 at Castle Bromwich and flew 51 combat missions.
The current restoration was completed in May 2019, it's great to hear the "Silver Spitfire" is still 90 percent original, having been completely stripped down to its component parts, refurbished, and reassembled.
The propeller blades on a Spitfire are made of layers of wood sandwiched together, in contrast with the metal or composite materials you’ll find on more modern aircraft. It is a four-bladed design with a diameter of 10’9″ / 3.27m.
The guns have been removed and the iconic aircraft now has a distinctive polished aluminum finish.
This has been done to make the Spitfire look less war-like and show off the original design's beauty. It has also been equipped with extra fuel tanks to extend the range beyond the standard 350 miles.
The Silver Spitfire is powered by a 27-litre V12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine putting out around 1,350 BHP. There are 6 exhaust stacks on each side of the aircraft, each one costing in the region of £1,000!
The expedition logo which will appear on each side of the aircraft, celebrating the first time a Spitfire has circumnavigated the globe.
