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Ordinata
@de_Selby
Well, not really. Mitchell did design the S6 series of seaplanes but apart from perhaps a detetectable lineage in the shape of the fin there's very little indeed in common. The Spitfire was designed in response to a 1931 Air Ministry specification demanding high rate of climb, high speed above 15,000ft, 'fighting view', manoeuvrability, rapid production capability and ease of maintenance. In fact the original machine to that specification turned out to be a dud and was beaten to the RAF contract by a biplane design that became the Gladiator.
Mitchell and his men went back to the drawing board and came up with what we now know as the Spitfire (although the earlier machine had borne the same name). This was sanctioned in 1934 by an Air Ministry contract for a prototype. In 1936, after it had flown and been evaluated by the RAF, a contract for 310 machines was issued.
Mitchell undoubtedly learned a lot about high-speed flight from the S6 seaplanes, but there are no parts that are even similar. They were substantially faster than the Spitfire. The real value of the seaplanes was what Rolls-Royce learnt about high-boost engines; a number of features of the 'R' engine (eg sodium-cooled valves) turned up on the Merlin.
Mitchell had been to Germany and seen what their aircraft factories were up to; he is said to have been animated by the Germans' advances in technology to realise the Spitfire was likely to be needed in anger rather than being just another leap in performance, as seen every few years when the RAF upgraded itself.