The Blenheim was originally built in in England in 1934 as one of the first executive planes for the proprietor of the Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere, who wanted a fast plane capable of carrying six passengers, a pilot and a co-pilot. Equipped with two Bristol Mercury engines, the Bristol Type 142, as it was then called, was 30 mph (48km/h) faster than the RAF's new biplane fighter, the Gloster Gauntlet