Spitfire expected to sell for £2.5m

A rare RAF Spitfire which was shot down during World War Two and forgotten about for 40 years is expected to sell for £2.5 MILLION in a landmark sale.

The MK1 Vickers Supermarine Spitfire was flown by Great Escape veteran Peter Cazenove in an air battle over Dunkirk.

Just 55 minutes into a flight, on May 24, 1940, Cazenove's Spitfire was hit by a single bullet fired from a Dornier 17-Z bomber.

The Old Etonian radioed in to say "tell mother I'll be home for tea", before belly-landing onto the sands of Calais beach.

Uninjured, Cazanove walked into Calais where he joined up a with a British regiment. However, he was later captured by German forces and held as a Prisoner of War.

The Spitfire, known as P9374, was left to nature and was consumed by successive tides, sinking deeper into the sands where it remained for the next 40 years.

In September 1980 the Spitfire was discovered after strong tides pushed it back above the surface.

Although it was barnacled and corroded, the aircraft was largely intact but salvagers and trophy hunters caused serious damage as they tried to get a piece of the plane.

The aircraft later underwent a full restoration and is now one of only two Mk1 Spitfires which are restored to original specification and still flying.

Both are owned by Thomas Kaplan, an American philanthropist and art collector, who is now selling P9374.

The Spitfire, which flies "beautifully", is expected to sell for around £2.5 million at Christie's 'Exceptional Sale', which will be held in London on July 19.

Mr Kaplan will be donating the proceeds from the landmark sale to the RAF Benevolent Fund and Panthera, a leading wildlife conservation charity.

He has donated his other Spitfire - N3200 - to the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

The kindhearted businessman said: "When my great childhood friend, Simon Marsh, and I embarked upon this project, it was to pay homage to those who Churchill called "the Few", the pilots who were all that stood between Hitler's darkness and what was left of civilization.

"The upcoming events of July 9th are, more than anything else, concrete gestures of gratitude and remembrance for those who prevailed in one of the most pivotal battles in modern history.

"As history tells us all, there comes a time when one simply has to step up...to act with passion, and to remember with gratitude the few that actually do."

The Spitfire was originally built at the Vickers Armstrong factory in Woolston and delivered to 92 Squadron at RAF Croydon in March 1940.

It was powered by a Merlin III engine which was built at Rolls-Royce, Derby, on 27 October 1939.

After it was recovered, the Spitfire first to the Musee d'l'Air at Le Bourget, Paris, and subsequently to further collections until the parts eventually ended up with the Aircraft Restoration Company / Historic Flying Ltd. at Duxford.

A team of 12 engineers spent three years meticulously restoring the Spitfire for Mr Kaplan and Mr Marsh.

The completed aircraft successfully returned to flight for the first time since the Second World War in September 2011, and was flown by John Romain, Pilot and Chief Engineer at the Aircraft Restoration Company.

He later said: "This is a fantastic restoration to be justifiably proud of. Spitfire P9374 is a truly lovely aircraft, and she flies beautifully."

Robert Copley, deputy chairman Christie's UK, added: "Christie's is proud to be entrusted with the sale of this Spitfire - a truly iconic aircraft which is symbol of the bravery 'of the few' in the Battle of Britain.

"We look forward to seeing this extraordinary Mk.1 Spitfire reach new heights at 'The Exceptional Sale', which will be a unique moment in auction house history."

Original article can be found here: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk