Yahoo Autos Buy This 27-Liter V12-Powered Shooting Brake and Feel Superior to Everyone on the Road
Do you ever feel like your car is lacking? Lacking in power? Lacking in size? Lacking in engine displacement? Lacking in rarity? Well, here’s your chance to change all that. Auction site Car & Classic is getting ready to offer up the one –the only – The Beast. This beige-on-beige ode to excess built by automotive engineer John Dodd could be yours.
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Other than the looks, the biggest highlight of The Beast is undoubtedly its engine. The vehicle may have started life as a Rolls-Royce, but whatever motor it had is long gone. In its place is a 27-liter Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine. Yes, that Merlin engine. The one from the World War II Spitfire fighter plane. Well, I’ll be honest. It isn’t that exact engine, since the one in the plane is supercharged.
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But don’t worry, it’s still no slouch. The Beast’s 27-liter (1,648 cubic inch!) engine supposedly makes an estimated 760 horsepower, but keep in mind that this thing has never been (and probably should never be) on a dyno. Still, back in 1973 it had a verified top speed run of 183 mph. Not too shabby. Dodd was a specialist when it came to automatic transmissions, so he was able to build out a GM Turbo 400 three-speed autobox connected to a Currie rear axle to handle all the power.
According to the listing, Dodd (who passed back in December), is still listed as the owner and could be seen regularly tinkering with and driving The Beast around the UK.
The all-fiberglass exterior of The Beast is just as wild as the engineering that went into it. Starting up front you’ve got eight headlights (family truckster-style) with a big ol’ grille and the initials “JD” in the middle.
