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The all-new Range Rover Sport and a Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. Pitting these two machines together in a head-to-head race has got to be one of the coolest ways to open up one of the biggest British motoring events on the calendar; and thanks to the organisers at www.FortyOneSix.com, the idea became reality.

The Challenge

The concept for the race was very simple. Both vehicles would start together on the grass airstrip at the Goodwood Aerodrome. They would then race to the end of the runway, make a U-turn, and race back - first one through the chequered flag wins. Whilst the idea for the race made it sound like a no-brainer for the Range Rover Sport, the extremely bumpy terrain and slippery surface of the runway meant that the off-roader had to work very hard to keep up with the plane once it was airborne.

The Contenders

Racing from the ground was the all-new Range Rover Sport. The model used for the race was the top-spec, 5.0-litre V8 petrol version. With 510hp on tap and Jaguar Land Rover's Chief Vehicle Integrity Engineer, Mike Cross at the wheel, the new model managed to reach 130mph before having to make the turn for the return trip.

Competing in the air was a vintage 1945 Vickers Supermarine Spitfire; piloted by Matt Jones from the Boultbee Flight Academy. While the Range Rover Sport has some impressive numbers, the 68-year old aircraft trounces the lot. Its V12 Merlin engine kicks out 1,750hp giving the Spitfire a maximum airspeed of 400mph; and a typical take-off speed of 80mph.

The Result

Well... we're not going to tell you. We will tell you that the outcome was very close; but to see who came out on top you'll have to watch the video for yourself at www.FortyOneSix.com,.
Land Rover will also be making the footage available on its social media channels at www.facebook.com/landroveruk and www.twitter.com/landrover_uk.