It could still do 420 knots, according to German Wikipedia (Vikipedia?).

A Spitfire that could do 482 mph??? Why does anybody still believe anything but the most elementary facts that Wikipedia posts? The best info I get from Wikipedia is when I click on the tab at the top that says “talk.” Then you get the behind-the-scenes arguments by all the people who actually know what they’re talking about but don’t have the time, knowledge or desire to go through the Wikipedia posting and editing process.

All that Wikipedia wants is “a citation.” Whether the citation is right or wrong doesn’t seem to matter. If it’s in print somewhere, it’s correct. If you say, “But I was there, I saw exactly what happened that day, I talked to the test pilot, in fact he was my father,” Wikipedia will respond, “but do you have a citation?”

Wikipedia is the single largest myth-propagating facility on the planet, since every subsidiary site simply copies whatever they have posted, myths and all. I can’t tell you how much aviation buehlchit I’ve found on Wikipedia while doing research for the aviation-history articles I write.

But do I have a citation? Actually, no.