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  I have just read that as well as the Griffon engined MkXIV Spits there are 8 Mk VIII Spitfires.
  
  The Mk VIII were Merlin engined and are now very rare. Some pilots considered these to be the best of all the Spitfires to fly and are certainly among the nicest looking, sleek with a retractable tail wheel.
  
  The Mk VIII was actually a more advanced version than the Mk IX which was meant originally to be a stop-gap to combat the FW190 menace. The Mk IX went on to be the main Spit type in Europe right to the end of the war while the Mk VIII's, when they were produced, were sent out to the Far East.
  
  I must say that the 8 Mk VIII's are far more exciting than the 60 Mk XIV's as a find.
  
  Here is a pic of a Mk VIII
  

  

  
  
  Here is a MkXIV - The larger Griffon engine required bulges over the exhausts that spoil the lines and the larger heavier front of the aircraft required modification at the back.
  

  

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