The gavel fell at £3,106,500 (US$4,784,010) on the painstakingly restored RAF Spitfire P9374, far exceeding pre-auction estimates of £2.5m.

The Vickers Supermarine Spitfire holds a special place in British WWII history as one of the finest aircraft to ever defend British shores and a favorite of many a pilot from the era. The P9374 was built in 1940 as a part of 92 Squadron, which was specifically assigned to Home Defence.

The plane was shot down and forced to land on May 24, 1940, during the Battle of Dunkirk. It wasn't recovered and sank into the wet sand of Calais. Its pilot, the Peter Cazenove famously depicted in the movie Great Escape, was eventually captured and released. He died before the plane was uncovered by swiftly changing tides in 1980.