The Engine
This Spitfire Mark 22 was powered by a supercharged 37-litre Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. The Griffon replaced the famous Merlin engine, which powered earlier Spitfires and helped to win the Battle of Britain.
During the course of the war, Rolls-Royce engineers knew that new, heavier and better-armed fighters were coming, and designed the larger Griffon for them. But the Spitfire design team realised the new engine could keep the Spitfire at the forefront of the wartime contest for performance and cleverly re-engineered the nose section to accommodate it.
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