G-ACSS Grosvenor House, No 34, the Comet flown by C. W. A. Scott and T. Campbell Black, the ultimate winners of the event, at RAF Mildenhall on the eve of the great race, October 19, 1934.

The D.H.88 Comet Grosvenor House was taken at Old Warden shortly before the aircraft was dismantled preparatory to its lengthy restoration.

Chris Morris (left) and Bob Roberts discuss a problem.

The BAe 146 flapshaft driven by an electric motor from a Buccaneer canopy.

A photograph of G-ACSS during an early period of restoration.

This scene, taken in May this year, showing the author gleaning the facts for this article from Ron Paine with G-ACSS eavesdropping behind.

Ron Paine with the surviving Comet retractable undercarriage mock-up.

The original Comet Dowty oleos and a wheel in the Old Warden workshop.

G-ACSS seen during the latter half of 1981.

Dickie Martin (right) thinking ahead to late summer 1983 when he is scheduled to test fly the Comet.

The Comet pub, just outside Hatfield aerodrome, with its famous model of G-ACSS.

The drawings are taken from Flight for September 20, 1934 and illustrate construction details of the Comet and the intricate mechanism of the retractable undercarriage.