The Silverstone motor racing circuit is on the site of a WW2 RAF bomber station and when it was first used for the British Grand Prix in 1948 the two main runways formed a large part of the circuit. The following season, however, the circuit just ran round the perimeter of the airfield and apart from relatively minor adjustments it stayed that way till 2010 when the left hand bend at Abbey was changed to a right turn so the track meandered across towards the Maggotts curve then turned abruptly back along the line of one of the old runways towards Brooklands corner. This meant that the runways were able to be used by aircraft and part is still in use, mainly as a heliport, for the British Grand Prix and other meetings. When I went to the Historic Festival meetings there in the 1990s there were always a few interesting aircraft in the centre of the circuit, and this is one that I photographed at The Coys International Historic Festival meeting in August 1996.
It's a Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIc and was built in 1944, but didn't see any wartime service. Its engine is a Rolls-Royce Merlin built under license in the USA by the Packard Motor Car Company. The aircraft was shipped to Australia in 1944 where it remained till 1979 when it was acquired by former RAF Cranwell graduate Robs Lamplough who brought it to this meeting at Silverstone where he was competing in his BRM P125 and Talbot Lago T26 Monoplace Décallée. The programme of the event has an article which refers to the displays of vintage and classic aircraft at the meeting and says this about the Spitfire:
'Built in 1944 by Vickers Supermarine of Southampton, MV154 is one of only two airworthy Mk VIIIs in the world. Superbly restored between 1980 and 1994 by a team of engineers led by John Hart at Filton, it took to the skies again on 28 May 1994 in Robs' capable hands, almost 50 years after its first delivery flight to the RAF.'
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