What 2000 hp engine did the Spitfire have?
The original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp (768 kW). It was strong enough and adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlins, and in later marks, Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,340 hp (1,745 kW). The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled V12 piston aero engine of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) capacity.
Why was the Spitfire so fast?
The Spitfire quickly became the most recognisable aircraft of the battle, its reputation shaped as much by its technical qualities as by its symbolic power. Designed by R. J. Mitchell, the aircraft combined a sleek, elliptical wing with the powerful Rolls‑Royce Merlin engine, giving it exceptional agility and speed. The Spitfire had various weaknesses at different times during the war. In the Battle of Britain, Me 109 pilots could often escape by throwing their fuel injected planes into a steep dive. If the Spitfire tried to respond, the g-forces on the carburetor would starve the engine of fuel and the Spitfire could not keep up.