"Dodd's journey began when engineer Paul Jameson created a chassis to house a Rolls-Royce Meteor tank engine in the late 1960s. When that project stalled, Dodd took over, rebuilt it after a fire destroyed the first version, and stepped up the ante by installing the Merlin V12. To handle the immense torque from the engine, Dodd engineered a bespoke transmission, adapting a heavy-duty automatic gearbox."
"Performance figures are largely anecdotal (since formal dyno tests are lacking), but contemporaneous reports estimate output between 750-850 horsepower, with claims of over 183 mph achieved on the German Autobahn. What truly matters is the ambition: a road-going car using an aeroplane engine, built by a private engineer in Britain. Although it may not meet modern supercar standards, for its era, it smashed boundaries."
The Beast is a one-off shooting-brake built in 1972 by John Dodd, nearly 19 feet long and powered by a 27-liter Rolls‑Royce Merlin V12 aero engine. The project began with a chassis by Paul Jameson for a Rolls‑Royce Meteor engine; Dodd rebuilt the car after a fire and installed the Merlin, then engineered a bespoke transmission adapting a heavy-duty automatic to handle immense torque. The car features independent suspension and disc brakes on all wheels, along with leather upholstery and walnut veneer inside. Contemporaneous reports estimate 750–850 horsepower and claims of over 183 mph on the Autobahn. Legal issues arose around use of Rolls‑Royce branding.
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
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