You can buy a Spitfire at the Revival

The latest initiative of the Goodwood-based Spitfires.com sees the company open the world’s first Spitfire showroom, offering prospective buyers the opportunity to see the planes up close and personal in all their glorious patina. It will be open year-round, with the Revival proving the focal point to showcase their incredible inventory.

Based in Hangar 8 – the same location from which their historical passenger flights depart – the showroom officially threw open its huge bifold doors on Revival Friday, and already they’ve had a large amount of interest, managing director Matt Jones announces proudly, before adding: “Obviously these sorts of things take a long time to develop and crystallise in peoples’ minds as to whether it’s a path they want to go down and there’s a lot to understand in owning an aeroplane like this and that process takes time.”

As you wander through the display, huge white stencilled lettering catches the eye; ‘Buy a Spitfire, £5000’ it reads, stark against a camo net wall, with a disclaimer caveating that the price was correct in 1940. Ironically, that figure wasn’t accurate even then, Matt adds: “Back in May 1940 the government went out to the people and to the World and said “Hey we need your help to fight the Nazis. If you can raise £5,000 that will buy us another Spitfire.”

“Actually, the truth of the matter was that Spitfires cost £12,000 but they thought that was an unattainable number at the time and they wanted to make it just attainable… And towns, and villages and counties and countries and companies all put together and in the end it raised over £13 million and I think something like 2,400 Spitfires were presented to the UK government both from the internal UK and from countries all around the world who wanted to help – it was the original crowdfunding!

“That ties really nicely with the Revival and the wartime theme, so we’ve put that big sign up to really entice people in here and we’re telling people that actually back in the day you could buy a Spitfire for that much, but they’ve gone up a bit since!”

Not that visitors exactly need enticing in to Hangar 8. Not one but five Spitfires – all in varying states of repair – spill out on to the grass airfield.

“Everyone knows the emotional value of a Spitfire, they mean enormous amounts to so many people, here and around the world.” Matt explains. “But to understand the financial value is also really interesting for people.

“And you know what, if we were able to get a bit of interest and someone wanted to take one of these on, keep another one flying, or even restore something like this –” he points at a plane meticulously displayed in several pieces. “This was a barn find found in Burma, it flew 100 combat missions in World War 2. We’re working in partnership with other people in the industry, and this aeroplane, ML119, has been provided by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, who restore them. So, anything that’s purchased through us today here for restoration would end up going to Biggin Hill to have that work done. They are the world’s best at doing exactly that.

“What we’re offering predominately is the opportunity to buy flying Spitfires and they can fly from the airfield here with a new owner in them, if they’ve been trained – something else we do, by the way. Or you can start lovingly being a part of a restoration, and in three years’ time you get to see this plane here fly once again, having last flown in the 1950s.

“People like different things and people want to go down different paths – for some it’s about the joy of flying and for some it’s the actual restoration process and being involved with understanding that history and getting the aeroplane to the point when they can fly again, and that journey itself is really interesting.”

He introduces RW382, a “very nice example of a late restoration post-war mark 16”, before moving on to the most expensive model on display, MH415, which had been wowing the crowds during the weekend’s Dawn Patrols. It would set you back a huge £4.5 million.

“This is one of the most original flying Spitfires in the world, in that it flew in World War 2,” he elaborates. “It’s only just finished its restoration in the last three years – this is an aeroplane that flew an enormous number of missions and shot something down, and it also was in the Battle of Britain film. It’s never been apart, it’s not something that’s been crashed and rebuilt – it’s always been a Spitfire.

“We’ve got another couple of restoration projects and one more flyer that aren’t here. We’ve got another that has incredible D-Day history and was the first aeroplane to land behind enemy lines on D-day, so again a huge historical artefact that there is an opportunity for someone to put back in the air.”

The final plane on display is the Silver Spitfire, in which Matt himself set a round-the-world record in 2019. It has already sold (for an undisclosed sum), but still lives and flies from Goodwood. 

“It is the cherry on the cake, this aeroplane,” he smiles proudly. “It fought everything, it did bomber support and bombing raids with 51 combat missions and one success. It went on a mission during the war as one of six aeroplanes that went out, and only two came back, both hit with flack.”

Originally an investment banker, Matt left to follow his heart into flying, and was “very lucky to get into Spitfires about 10 years ago”. He has been running Spitfires.com (formerly Boultbee Flight Academy) since 2010, establishing it as the world's first Spitfire training school and passenger flight provider.

His fervour for the subject matter is evident (and hardly surprising, I might add), as he reveals his future plans for the business: “Hopefully we can get more people into our industry with the same kind of passion that the motor racing guys have here, and that desire to keep history going that Revival is all about.

“This is just another element to it and really makes the most of the fact that, while Goodwood is known around the world for its motor racing, in the centre of it is one of the most historic RAF airfields. What we’d like to do is get that historic aviation element that is so rich in Goodwood’s history a little bit more recognition.”

So, if you have the cash and the inclination, wander over to Hangar 8, where a whole world of warbirds await.

Photography by Joe Harding.