The producers of "Piece of Cake" had three mock-up fighters made for the mini-series. Each had a VW engine which drove the main gear wheels and spun the propeller. They were used, of course, during ground scenes and all three were destroyed in various episodes where the field was attacked or in the very first scene with "The Ram" where he taxis into a slit trench.
You can spot the fakes if you look very closly for a Spit that's taxiing with a puff of exhaust smoke coming out of the tail wheel. It's subtle but visible in some scenes.
There were SIX, actually. Three had turning props (powered by Yamaha engines, not VWs) and were pushed around, one had a complex system that drove the wheels so it could taxi, and the other two were totally static jobs, all made from fibreglass with differing frameworks (I'd have to read my books again).
One or two of them still exist - one is/was on display on the Isle of Man, and another is being worked on by a friend of mine.
darencogdon: Much appreciated...your information is well received.
As an American, I enjoyed the Robertson novel and the mini-series very much. It increased my knowledge of the great aerial struggle in the summer of 1940.
Thanks for your comments. I hope you enjoyed the picture as much as I did.
Apparently very few Hurricanes left that are airworthy. Just as a remake of 633 Squadron would almost have to be CGI nowadays. Wondering why nobody ever adapted Deighton's great aviation novels (Bomber, Goodbye Mickey Mouse) to the big or small screen. Plenty of flyable P-51's on the air racing circuit.