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The wreckage of the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1A was
recovered in 1980 from a beach at Calais, northern France.
It had crash-landed there after it was shot down on May 24,
1940, during the evacuation of Dunkirk and over the years was
washed over by tides, sinking deeper into the sands, auctioneer
Christie's said.
It is one of two remaining Mk.1 models restored to the original
specification and that can still fly, Christie's said.
The Spitfire will be put up for auction next Thursday with an
estimate of 1.5 million pounds to 2.5 million pounds.
It is being sold by art collector Thomas Kaplan, who will donate
the proceeds to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund and wildlife
charity Panthera.
"It is arguably one of the most beautiful pieces of technology
ever created," Kaplan said at the Churchill War Rooms museum in
London, where the plane was exhibited.
"It is as graceful as any piece of modernist design."
The sale will also commemorate the 75th anniversary of the
Battle of France and the Battle of Britain, the air war between
the RAF and the German Lutwaffe in the summer and autumn of
1940.
"The spitfire is in a way the most iconic symbol of the Battle
of Britain and the Battle of Britain was really one of the most
pivotal turning points in modern history," Kaplan said.
(Reporting By Reuters Television, Writing by Marie-Louise
Gumuchian, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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