SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE XIVRN201 on runway @ Battle of Britain Airshow 2022 at Duxford UK

Spitfire XIV RN201 (G-BSKP) is one of the most eye-catching Spitfires to be seen anywhere. The MkXIV was the first mass-produced mark of the type to be fitted with the gargantuan 37-litre Rolls-Royce Griffon engine which sounds so different to its Merlin predecessor. This late war variant of the type fared well with the increased horsepower the Griffon provided - not only did this mark down over 300 V1 flying bombs, in October 1944 a MkXIV claimed a kill of a Messerschmitt Me262 jet, a first for a Spitfire. 957 Spitfire XIVs were produced in total and can claim to be the only Griffon-powered mark of Spitfire to see a reasonable amount of wartime service. The XIV also equipped every 2nd Tactical Air Force Spitfire squadron on the continent between D-Day and VE Day, where its primary purpose was performing armed reconnaissance patrols.