The RAF's last ever piston engine will be brought to life at a popular York attraction.

Rolls Royce's The Griffon engine, which was retired in 1991, was transferred from Coventry airport to the Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington, near York.

Griffon engines are a 37 litre V12 used in the Shackleton - a submarine-hunting aircraft.

The Shackleton was a four-engine relative of the famous Lancaster bomber, it is too large to move to the museum in one go, so it’s having to be dismantled, and the parts dispatched north in stages.

The first components to arrive at Elvington are three of the four Rolls Royce Griffon engines, each producing two and a half thousand horsepower. They were delivered on the back of a lorry today (October 22).

The Griffon engine being taken up in parts (Image: Supplied)

The engines alone are so large that all four would not fit on the articulated lorry – one is due to travel up later.

The rest of the Shackleton will arrive at the Yorkshire Air Museum in stages over coming weeks, until all the parts are on site before Christmas.

Work will then begin to put the pieces back together, this is expected to last into 2026.

Rich Woods from the Shackleton Aviation Group, which has been caring for WR963 at Coventry said: "After a year of hard work, fighting bad weather and corrosion from 30 years of being sat on an exposed area of Coventry Airport, my team and I are delighted that WR963 is now beginning her move north into well-deserved preservation.

The Griffon engine being taken up in parts (Image: Supplied)

"It's sad to see the Griffons depart, but comforting to know they'll run again at YAM, and in such good company."

Jerry Ibbotson, Yorkshire Air Museum Communications Manager said: "This is a very exciting day. This is an enormous, highly complex jigsaw puzzle and the Griffons are the first of many parts.

"The Coventry crew have done an amazing job taking the Shackleton apart and they will continue to have a huge role in putting it back together.

"For now, we’re overjoyed at seeing the engines arrive and can’t wait for the next deliveries to make their way to Elvington.

"This is an iconic aircraft that patrolled the skies above British waters, searching for Soviet vessels above and below the surface, as well as playing a vital role in search and rescue operations. To have her here is a real joy."