A Mk1A Vickers Spitfire (serial number P9374) has sold for £3.1m ($4.7m) at Christie's London.
The lot was among the highlights of the Exceptional Sale on July 9 and sets a new world record for a Spitfire at auction. It beat an estimate of £2.5m ($3.1m) by 24%.
 The Spitfire is one of two surviving Mk1 examples |
It was piloted by Peter Cazenove, who crashed it on a Calais beach in May 1940.
Moments before he had radioed the base with the message: "Tell mother I'll be home for tea!"
He survived but was captured by Axis forces and interred in a POW camp until the end of the war. The Spitfire was buried under the sand and only recovered in 1980.
It has since been extensively refurbished by American billionaire Thomas Kaplan, a keen collector, and his friend Simon Marsh. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund and Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit.
It's one of only two surviving specimens of the Mk1 variant extant; the other (N3200) was recently presented by Kaplan to the Imperial War Museum.
Nic McElhatton, chairman of Christie's London, comments: "Bringing this iconic and historic aircraft to auction has captivated collectors and enthusiasts around the world...
"Not only are the proceeds of this sale being gifted to so many worthy causes, not least Panthera and the RAF Benevolent Fund, Thomas and Daphne Kaplan are also gifting Spitfire N3200 to Imperial War Museum Duxford for the public to admire and enjoy for generations to come."
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