AIRCRAFT lovers have said a vintage engine obtained for an eight-year restoration project is not what they hoped it would be.

Volunteers at Derby Airfield in Egginton found an old de Havilland engine they thought was used by legendary aviator Amy Johnson.

They hoped the engine, donated by a US collector, was from the Black Magic Comet aircraft which took part in a famed 1934 race from England to Australia.

But after studying it for the last few days, airfield owner Martin Jones said the engine had not been used in the race.

But he said he was almost certain the de Havilland engine had been constructed as a spare in case the original racing engines failed.

He said: "It is not one of the original, extremely rare racing engines we had hoped for but those engines were modified from standard ones, and this is one of them.

"An interesting element is that the winning plane in the race had to have spare parts taken from another engine.

"Those exact same parts are missing from this engine and it could be that ours actually helped the winning aircraft cross the finish line first.

"It is not quite what we thought but I think we're just as pleased. The engine is a fantastic find and an important link to history."

The de Havilland engine was delivered to the airfield in Hilton Road, Egginton, as part of a project to restore the Black Magic Comet.