Rolls-Royce
Engine names
The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine not only powered the Spitfire, but also York and Lancaster Bombers. The Wars of the Roses were fought from 1455 to 1485 between the houses of York and Lancaster. Both houses were branches of the Plantagenet royal house, tracing their descent from King Edward III.
Merlin Engine
The Spitfire's was fitted with a piston engine made by Rolls-Royce called the Merlin – widely thought to be the greatest ever conceived. It was replaced in 1942 by the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine.
