WWII Spitfire fuselage kept in garage sells for thousands at auction

By Faye Mayern

The fuselage of an iconic Spitfire which was kept and restored by its senior citizen owner in his garage has fetched $24,155 at auction.

The Supermarine Spitfire F Mk 22 PK519 was housed in the garage of Peter Arnold, from Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, while he worked on its restoration.

Arnold, who died aged 83 in 2025, was known as "Mr. Spitfire" to enthusiasts and aircraft collectors, and set about rescuing fuselages from WWII aircraft.

His final project, the Spitfire PK519, was expected to fetch between $26,840 and $40,260 — but sold for $24,155.

The aircraft is made with replacement panels from other original Spitfires built on the original wooden formers, a cockpit window assemblage and Plexiglas canopy.

It was ordered on June 2, 1943, and delivered to Brize Norton on Sept. 22, 1948, where it was used as a ground target on the Salisbury Plain Ranges.

Arnold grew a fascination with Spitfires in school and would cycle to crash sites within a 50-mile radius to find and repair them.

Over the years, Peter's commitment to chronicling surviving Spitfires worldwide saw him record some 365 extant Spitfire and Seafire airframes.

He would regularly wheel the PK519 out of his garage for all to see and previously said: "I just like it being here."

The Spitfire and other items in Arnold's collection were auctioned through Dominic Winter Auctioneers on Oct. 8.