The Spitfire, the Hurricane, the Lancaster and Wellington Bombers, the P51 Mustang – all iconic aircraft which arguably won the Battle of Britain - were all powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
In a time of war, factories need to mass produce. Rolls-Royce, with its slow and careful production methods, could not keep up with demand despite running factories in Derby, Crewe and Glasgow, and was compelled to license the Merlin engine to the Packard Motor Company in Detroit.
