Duelling at 400 mph just a few feet from sea surface left pilots little margin for error. For over a decade, as aircraft of Great Britain, the United States, France and Italy fought for the prize, the Schneider Trophy represented the pinnacle of aviation development.

A succession of world records fell to machines that combined super-charged brute power with streamlined good looks. With the RAF’s Supermarine S6B, legendary aircraft designer R.J Mitchell honed the genius that produced the Spitfire, while Rolls-Royce advanced the state-of-the-art with an powerful V-12 engine that paved the way for its war-winning masterpiece, the Merlin.