Nice writeup in Vol. 36/#6 July Air Classics on the Spit XIV that Tiger Destefani restored and sold. Even includes a "lite" unattributed comparison between the XIV and the FW 190 and the BF-109G-6.
It does have the following pirep on racing the XIV:
"What was it like to race the Griffon-engine Spitfire? Well, we could not trace down James McArthur so we asked the only other pilot who has raced the type--Bruce Lockwood! Bruce raced the Museum of Flying's FR. Mk XIV NX749DP/NH749 at the short-lived Phoenix 500. "The MOF's Spitfire does not have clipped tips and I certainly feel that if it did, several more mph could have been achieved. For all the power in that big Griffon 65, the aircraft is not a particularly good Unlimited air racer. It's suprisingly slower than a stock Mustang and as you add more power, the coolant doors on the radiators open up and it feels like you accidentally put the flaps down. I raced the plane at METO power, +13/+14 lbs of boost at 2600 rpm. The aircraft has great visibility which is a plus and the controls are light on pitch but the ailerons really start to stiffen up as the speed increases while the rudder is quite light. Also, probably because of the big five bladed prop, there is a noticeably gyroscopic effect. In a way, the plane is a bit overpowered but it doesn't bleed off speed in a pylon turn. The handling characteristics are much better in the Mk. IX. The cockpit is comfortable. There are no exhaust fumes and since the fuel tank is in front of the pilot, heat from the engine entering the cockpit is minimized. Also, heat is minimized since the radiators are under the wings and not under the fuselage like on the Mustang. All-in-all it's a better Warbird than an Unlimited."
Not that any of this is directly related to AH, just thought you might find it interesting!
