In the best traditions of English eccentricity, David Price hand-built a full-size Spitfire replica in his backyard, demolishing a shed so he could squeeze the wings in.
Now his four-and-a-half-year passion project can be yours: the military historian, 59, has auctioned his Spitfire on eBay for a reserve price of £18,600 – though he expects bids to rise further.
His long-suffering wife Trish, 58, has been promised a new summer home with the proceeds from the sale. “It’s like having a teenager around,” she says. “You really love them, but there comes a time when you need them to get out of the house. It’s time for David’s Spitfire to fly out of the nest.’
David has taken great interest in his replica. Museums and private collectors from Britain, Belgium and Thailand have been in touch, though he had to tell a businessman making inquiries on the Thai island of Phuket that the Spitfire would not be suitable as a decoration on the roof of his hotel.
“It’s made of plywood,” he says. “It would have evaporated to death.”
Flight of Fantasy: David Price with his pride and joy replica
David Price hand-built a full-size Spitfire replica in his backyard, demolishing a shed so he could squeeze the wings in
Now his four-and-a-half-year passion project can be yours: the military historian, 59, has auctioned his Spitfire on eBay for a reserve price of £18,600
David’s plane is a replica of the Mark IX Spitfire PV144 flown by Battle of Britain hero Squadron Leader James Hayter DFC.
Comparable full size replicas are usually factory cast by specialist manufacturers and carry a price tag of £50,000. David only admits to spending £10,000 on his own, although Trish suspects it cost more – especially as he had to rebuild the undercarriage after it was damaged by wind in 2022, which caused the Spitfire to take off.
‘The plane decided to make its first flight itself’, David laughs. “I’ve been doing repairs for the past year.”
However, now it is perfect again and David has decided to sell. “I never meant to keep it in my yard — it took over our space and then my life.” Trish is very patient with my efforts, but it’s clear it has to go.’
The former boss of the construction company started the project to keep his technical skills sharp when he became a military writer in 2018.
His long-suffering wife Trish, 58, has been promised a new summer home with the proceeds from the sale
Comparable full size replicas are usually factory cast by specialist manufacturers and carry a price tag of £50,000
His debut book, The Crew, about the men of a Lancaster Bomber, became a bestseller and his latest work, telling the story of his backyard Spitfire, will be published next year. Some parts of the replica are genuine, such as the black dials in the cockpit that came out of the Air Ministry packaging stamped 1944. The wheels are scraps from a Spitfire still in service and the perspex hatch is authentic.
But other bits were collected by David from his local DIY store, his garage, and even their kitchen. The electrical transformer at the rear of the cockpit is a Heinz Beans tin and the joystick is made from wood wrapped in electrical wire – it cost £7.50, while a true vintage would be £5,000. The antenna and carburetor are made on a 3D printer.
The effect is breathtaking and the Spitfire has become a landmark in their home in a Cumbrian village near Carlisle. “It’ll be strange if it goes away,” says David, “but we’re ready to get our garden—and our privacy—back.”
So will he ever take up something as crazy as building an airplane in his yard again? “I’m older, less cheeky,” he says, “but never say never.”
flight of imagination: David Price with his pride and joy replica
“My wife is very patient… but it is clear that it has to go”
