The Spitfire had its maiden flight on March 5, 1936 and began its service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1938. There were only 400 Spitfires in service when World War II started. It was the only Allied fighter plane that was produced for the entire length of World War II.聽Thanks to its powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine, the Spitfire could hit an erage top speed of 363 mph and had a normal range of 991 nautical miles, which was reduced to 410 under combat conditions. There were a total of 24 variations, or Marks, of the Spitfire during its production lifetime.聽
The number of Spitfires that are left can be a difficult number to pin down. These will include those that are airworthy and those that are suitable only for static display, as well as those that might be in a transitory state that lies somewhere between un-flyable and ready for takeoff. It is generally agreed that a total of 20,351 Spitfires were built between 1938 and 1948. If you add in the Spitfire's nal variant, the Seafire, the total increases to over 22,000 aircraft produced.
The number of Spitfires left seems to be anywhere from 170 to 240, according to various estimates. These include those on static display, those that are being restored for either display or actual flight, and any that may be currently capable of flight.