The de Havilland DH.88 Comet was a twin-engined British aircraft designed for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race. Three examples took part in the race and the type set many aviation records during the race and afterwards, as a pioneer mail plane. The modern features and clean lines of the DH.88, especially in the striking colours of Grosvenor House, the race winner, make it a true design classic.The scarlet G-ACSS was the property of Mr A.O.Edwards and was named Grosvenor House after the hotel which he managed. The crew were C.W.A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black.On the day of the race, three distinctively coloured DH.88's took their place among 17 other entrants ranging from a new Douglas DC-2 airliner to two converted Fairey Foxbombers. When the Mollisons ( flying another DH.88 named Black Magic ),ran into problems at Karachi, Scott and Campbell Black took over the lead and were first into Allahabad. Despite a severe storm over the Bay of Bengal they reached Singapore safely, eight hours ahead of the DC-2.They took off for Darwin, but over the Timor Sea lost power in the port engine when the oil pressure dropped to zero. Repairs at Darwin got them going again, although continuing oil warnings caused them to fly the last two legs with one engine throttled back. Their lead was unassailable despite this, and after the final mandatory stop and more engine work at Charleville they flew on to cross the finish line at Flemington Racecourse at 3.33 p.m. (local time) on 23 October. Their official time was 71 hours 18 seconds, a record which still stood in 2010...The DH.88 might have been the only wooden British high-performance monoplane, but for a shortage of metal for aircraft construction during the Second World War. Experience with the DH.88 would later be put to use in designing the DH.98 Mosquito, also a twin-engined monoplane of wooden construction.The Mosquito was not simply the 1935 proposal revisited but was a much bigger and more powerful aircraft powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines delivering over twice the power of the Gipsy Sixes of the DH.88. The above photos are THE Grosvenor House, owned and flewn by the Shuttleworth Collection, for many years believed to be the only surviving DH.88. However in 1979, G-ACSP Black Magic was discovered in ruinous condition in Lisbon, Portugal. It is currently undergoing full restoration to flying condition by the Comet Racer Project Group based at Derby Airfield in England....... 2 Comets tearing up an airfield, now there's a dream photo.