VE DAY 80TH AT THE RAC

Welcome to Sandy's Spitfire at the RAC on Pall Mall

We are delighted to showcase two incredibly historic machines here at the RAC for VE Day 80. The Spitfire and the Frazer Nash are machines linked by one man, AFP Fane; a man who gave his all be it on the track or in the air. Both machines are hugely important to telling one of the most incredible stories of modern British history, an untold story of highly clandestine military operations, of young men flying unarmed deep into enemy territory. If Bletchley Park was the ears of the Allied campaign, then these fewest of Churchill's few were the eyes.

We have two major ambitions this week - can the members of the RAC help?

SANDY'S SPITFIRE

FANE'S FRAZER NASH

finishing sandy's spitfire

Welcome to Sandy's Spitfire at the RAC on Pall Mall

We are delighted to showcase what is an icon of history in the form of this exceptionally rare aircraft, here for the 80th commemorations of VE Day. The history of this aircraft on display here is unlike any other, however focusing on the present, you can be a part of helping to return AA810 to the skies.

Spitfire AA810 is truly unique in a number of ways:

It is the world’s oldest unarmed military reconnaissance aircraft in existence.
It is the only surviving aircraft linked to any of those airmen involved in the infamous Great Escape.
It has the highest operational hours flown of any surviving variant of the the Mk1 Spitfire.
Amongst several notable others, it was flown operationally by one of the most famous pre-war racing drivers of all time.

AA810 is now under restoration to flight in numerous locations around the UK. It is aimed to be airworthy early in 2027 ahead of engagements in countries around the world. It will be the most accurate restoration of a Spitfire to date, and is deemed by many in the industry to be one of the most historic aircraft in existence.

For more on the history of AA810 and its pilots, please click here.

The project is actively seeking financial sponsorship from individuals and corporates to complete the restoration to flight of this historic aircraft. The ongoing restoration has already raised around 65% of required funds, with some £1.3m remaining to return the aircraft to the skies for 2027. The operational costs of running the aircraft have also been factored into the costings of the restoration, enabling the aircraft to attend as many events as practical once completed at absolute minimum cost to organisers.

The management of the restoration and operation is being carried out by a highly experienced and skilled team with decades of experience in the industry, below we have outlined some of the key fundraising tasks active today.

Can you you help complete this most incredible example of aviation history? Join us on this journey by helping in part or in full...

Wing ribs and wheel bay structure - £378,600 remaining

Beyond the leading edge D box assemblies, which are already fully funded, the remaining wing structure in each wing consists of 21 main ribs, a single rear spar, and wheel bay structures.

Both of AA810’s wings were recovered from Norway and much of the structure is reusable. However each individual part will need to be disassembled, cleaned, inspected, tested, treated, painted, and refitted.

The wings of AA810 are very different to the wings normally found on a Spitfire. Whilst retaining the iconic Spitfire shape, the PR.IV had no guns, the leading edges carrying long-range fuel tanks instead, and in the port wing a special 18 gallon oil tank was included.

AA810 will be unique in being rebuilt to this exact configuration and therefore represents a significant historical opportunity to preserve this specific engineering design for future generations.

Wing ribs are paired and can be built individually on bench alongside our existing work, or at a later date. Once the rib kit is built up, these items can then be bolted to the D Box assemblies and skinned.

The rib work and skinning of the wing represents 75% of the total cost of restoring AA810’s wings.

We have part funded around £30,500 of the rear wing work already.

To sponsor this assembly in full or in part, please talk to us here.

Rolls-Royce Merlin 35 Engine - $250,000

The Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine is the beating heart of the Spitfire – its sound distinguishes the aircraft from so may others. A sound of true British engineering.

To ensure safe and reliable operations, the project has sourced a late production Merlin 35 indistinguishable from the original fitted in AA810. It is already overhauled and ready for use.

The engine is not needed until Q1 2025 but the project would obviously like to secure it for the restoration as soon as possible. It is inhibited and serviceable only requiring fitting to the engine bearers to take us to flight.

To sponsor the engine in full or in part, please talk to us here.

DeHavilland Propeller Assembly - £144,000 remaining

The propeller unit fitted to AA810 is incredibly rare and the project has managed to acquire sufficient serviceable original parts to be able to assemble the majority of the main components.

However, new propeller blades will need to be made which is a highly specialist operation and as such presents a significant cost.

The project has sourced a qualified propeller overhaul company to carry out the work who have the required knowledge, tooling and approvals to produce the required parts and overhaul the propeller unit completely.

To sponsor the propeller in full or in part, please talk to us here.

Rudder and Elevator Structure - £70,560 remaining

With the loss of the complete tail unit of AA810 during combat in 1942, the project needs to make 100% new build rudder and elevator control surfaces, supplementing in serviceable original components where possible.

On the early PR.IV aircraft, both of these control surfaces were covered in Irish Linen, however this fabric ages so the fabric covering of the control surfaces will not happen until late in the restoration process.

Airframe Assemblies, our subcontractor, can manufacture both control surfaces with their in-house jigs. The project is actively sourcing wartime trim control units to complete these largely new build items.

To sponsor either of the tail controls, please talk to us here.

Gear doors and Radiator fairings - £62,400 remaining

Specific to the early marks of Spitfire are the radiator fairing and the smaller oil cooler housing that sit under the wing. We recovered both from AA810 but only the radiator fairing has salvageable parts within it.

Gear doors are made as a kit and are then fitted and trimmed individually to the wing. We have acquired an original repairable door to reduce costs.

With our salvageable parts and our wartime door, the restoration of these parts represent 12% of the costs of the wing restoration.

To sponsor these items in full or in part, please talk to us here.

Ailerons and Flaps Structure - £42,600 remaining

Around 80% of the port aileron and 30% of the starboard aileron were recovered from Norway when we found AA810 in 2018. The port aileron in particular is in really excellent condition therefore significantly reducing the costs associated with their restoration to flight.

Around 80% of the starboard flap assembly was also recovered, the majority of which can be reused in the restoration.

Using the parts recovered from the wreck and other wartime manufacture parts that are available to us, we can reduce the restoration costs of the aileron and flap assemblies significantly. Overall these assemblies represent 8% of the restoration costs of the wings.

To sponsor these items in full or in part, please talk to us here.

Cowling and Fillet Kit - £23,700 remaining

Towards the end of the restoration, AA810 will require a cowling and wing fillet kit to close off the engine compartment and blend the fuselage to the wings.

The cowlings and fillets will be bespoke to the restoration and can’t be swapped from one aircraft to another.

Work on the cowlings can begin before the wings are completed, but the fillet kit will be one of the last elements of the restoration to occur.

The cowlings will carry internally the names of the 1700 airmen who served in unarmed photo reconnaissance units, together with nearly 700 WAAF Photo Interpreters as well as 500 individuals who have sponsored the restoration.

We have already raised 60% of the cost of this kit.

To sponsor the rest of the cowling kit, please talk to us here.

Wing Tip Structure - £14,700 remaining

In 2018 the project recovered both wingtips from the mountain, the port wingtip was virtually undamaged, the starboard wingtip broken into three parts.

One original top skin will be kept for display but the internal structure and the remaining skins will be able to be used after careful restoration.

Interestingly the wingtips use a mixture of aluminium, steel fittings, and spruce - a leftover from traditional 1930’s manufacturing.

The restoration of the wingtips using the original parts represents 4% of the wing restoration costs.

To sponsor the restoration of the wing tips, talk to us here.

Funding the Fitting out

Once the structure is complete, the project requires around £400,000 to complete the installation of overhauled systems and bring the aircraft to a completed airworthy standard. We are slowly building these funds alongside the restoration of the structure and during our short stay with the RAC this week, we are hoping to raise at least £25,000 of this. Can you help by sponsoring below?

FANE'S FRAZER NASH

The 18th July each year marks the anniversary of Flt.Lt. AFP Fane losing his life in bad weather near Stapleford, Cambridgeshire returning in a Spitfire from his 25th Photographic Reconnaissance mission. As a former pilot of AA810, AFP Fane is a major part of the project's focus, not only for his aerial and racing achievements, but commemoratively as we work to unveil a memorial near the crash location.

Since the start of the AA810 Project in 2018, the private owner of Fane's sensational racing car has kindly allowed the project to frequently use this incredible vehicle for educational purposes at events and functions around the UK. The current custodian has now offered the vehicle for sale to the charitable education arm of our project so that it can be secured in its rightful place alongside AA810 forevermore.

Can you help us secure the most famous of the racing Frazer Nash cars?

The project wishes to engage with individuals who are able to assist with the £700,000 required to secure CMH500 for future generations. At the moment, the project hopes to fund the acquisition of this important piece of motoring history so very closely linked to our project.

We have secured pledges equating to around £350,000 of support already, can our week at the RAC raise the remainder?

Can you enable us to secure Fane's Frazer Nash? Please talk to us here.

the extraordinary life of afp fane

Flt.Lt. Alfred Fane Peers Agabeg (otherwise known as AFP Fane), born: 11.11.1911, killed in action: 18.07.1942

AFP Fane was born in Sijua, India, the son of mining engineer Alfred Agabeg and his wife Mabel, a couple of Armenian descent. Returning to England, he lived with his mother at ‘The Hall’, Pinner in Middlesex, attending Harrow School and Clare College in Cambridge. His social activities and intention to ‘live life to the full’ meant his academic studies suffered as a result. A dynamic young man, he excelled as one of the leading lights of the combined Oxford and Cambridge University ski team, which beat McGill University in Quebec in 1931.

After leaving University, Fane began a motor racing career when he entered the March Mountain Speed Handicap at Brooklands, coming second. His next outing at Brooklands saw him win. He truly had the racing bug and this win ensured his entry into the British Racing Drivers Club. He attracted the attention of H.J. Aldington, owner of Frazer Nash, who immediately saw the opportunity this young man presented. Shortly after, Fane ordered a Frazer Nash chassis and designed his own racing body for it. Naming it Nurburg, he collected his new car from the Falcon works and raced it that same year at the German Grand Prix.

Marrying Evelyn Mary Marriott in 1932 in an elegant affair of a wedding, the couple, and Fane in particular, were seen as trendsetters of the time and Fane himself had a passion for outlandish hats which he acquired from all parts of Europe. Some of these garments outdid the most startling of feminine fashions, even though they originated as men’s wear in Bavaria or the Italian Alps. He also had a penchant for loud checked sports jackets and the very latest in shoes, but always to good standards of taste.

Frazer Nash needed funds to guarantee trade with BMW for new touring cars built under license and the owners raised this money by persuading Fane to invest in the company in return for a 20% shareholding. Now a demonstration driver for Frazer and BMW, Fane continued to race at Brooklands taking his cars almost to the point of pulling the tyres off the rims to secure a good ranking. He took part in the French GP Sports car race at Montlhèry, he raced at Le Mans and at Shelsey, and obtained eight race wins at Donington. In 1936, he won the Bucharest Grand Prix in a BMW 328 and in 1937 he won the Tourist Trophy team prize in Belfast. In 1937, as well as setting a number of speed records, he took on the German 328s in the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring, beating them, as well as racing the BMW 328 Mille Miglia ‘Büegelfalte’ at Le Mans. In 1938, he again raced a 328 in the Mille Miglia winning the 2.0 Litre class, setting the fastest time on the Grossglockner hill climb and winning at Crystal Palace. In the late 1930s, Frazer Nash were deeply involved with all things German, with Aldington and Fane taking on the UK dealership for the Messerschmitt 108 distribution as an additional business venture. The Frazer Nash factory signed a contract for the completion of BMWs arriving from Germany, and Fane – by then a member of the BMW 328 works team – was awaiting a try-out for the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix team.

Fane flies aa810

Fane joined the RAF a week after war was declared – initially considered too old for front line fighter service he first worked in Photo Interpretation at Bomber Command HQ in High Wycombe before becoming an instructor on Tiger Moths at RAF Booker and RAF Peterborough. Frustrated by his non-operational service he obtained a transfer to the unarmed Photographic Reconnaissance Unit arriving at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire in December 1941. Fane flew the project’s aircraft Spitfire AA810 twice, both in difficult situations:

“Trip 4, Spitfire AA810: Mezieres and marshalling yards in that area (unsuccessful) – 15th January 1942.

Took off and climbed through cloud as usual. Set course for Beachy Head, trails at 26,000ft. Saw nothing of England so continued on ETA. Saw French coast through small gap in clouds, carried on but all of France under 10/10 cloud so returned. Saw Le Touquet through a hole in cloud so took photos. Descended over Channel – still in cloud – when I should have been on coast – so turned onto reciprocal to make sure of coming down over the sea. Turned back again on course at 1,500ft and came out over the sea at 500ft. Visibility really was bloody. Saw land ahead and nearly fell out of the aircraft when I realised it was Eastbourne – too good to be true. Crept over land at 50 ft but went on in hope of weather clearing. It didn’t but just managed to creep over hills at Guildford and got home to find that Nebly and self were only ones to get back to base – all the others had landed all over the country. Good old satellite. Even the CO congratulated us... reported dud weather.”

“Trip 12, Spitfire AA810: Trondheim and Naval units – 4th March 1942.

Refuelled at Sumburgh as winds were supposed to be fairly strong, but mainly because of possibility of dud weather on return leg. Set course for Stadlandet and found visibility was terrific. Saw Norwegian coast 150 miles away, wind turned out to be 60 mph at 60 degrees not the 45 mph at 230 degrees given at briefing. Took 2 hours 15 minutes to get there instead of 1 hour 45 minutes. Took photos of Trondheim but saw I had forgotten the wind strength and was drifted right off. So carried on with Vaernes airfield, the Tirpitz, Scheer and Eugen and as they started firing and I was worried about the drift took obliques of them and of Trondheim. Also Orkundal and Halsa Fjords, Orlandet airfield, Kristiansund and Aalesund, plus a convoy. Returned in fairly good weather to Wick making landfall at the Orkneys for a total duration of 4 hours 50 minutes.”

The loss of AFP Fane - 18th July 1942

After leaving Wick in April 1942 Fane would carry on from Oxfordshire, flying another six missions across France, Holland, Germany and Denmark. Sadly his luck ran out on 18th July 1942.

On this day, his 25th mission, he had been tasked to fly a low-level sortie to photograph the U-boat yards at Flensburg. Taking off from Benson at 12:55 it is not certain if he completed his mission, but bad weather forced him to land at RAF Coltishall in Norfolk. He then decided to fly back to Benson, even though the cloud base was extremely low.

Reports at the time show that at around 15:55 Fane was following the railway line South from Cambridge, and with worsening weather, he appeared to try and locate RAF Duxford, which he would have known to be close by. With cloud virtually down to the ground, he lowered the landing gear and prepared to land in a field, should RAF Duxford not miraculously appear outside. In making a slight turn, Fane’s wingtip caught a hedge in a field next to the railway line, cartwheeling his Spitfire into the ground south of Stapleford. Fane was thrown clear, but was killed instantly.

A year following his death, a memoriam notice in The Times newspaper described Fane as “happy, carefree, fearless”. With hindsight, whilst his fearlessness not only led to his success, both in motorsport and in his flying career, it may well have also contributed to his death.