“The Beast” with a 27-liter engine from a fighter. The legendary car is up for sale

Rolls-Royce Mk35 Merlin V12 engine with a capacity of 27 liters. The same one that was used in the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighters was once installed in … a passenger car. The project called Beast (“The Beast”) was invented and implemented in the 1970s by Briton John Dodd. In 1977, he broke the current speed record, accelerating to 294.5 km / h. Now this car can be bought at auction.

The history of the car is quite interesting and it began with attempts to build a car based on the Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 engine, which was used in … tanks. Unfortunately, the progenitor of the “beast” died in a fire. Further experiments contributed to the creation of a project that has survived to this day.

The 27-liter jet engine produces enormous power, but it is still not known exactly how much. Over the years, it has not been possible to conduct accurate tests, but they say that it can be in the range of 1000-1200 hp.

Confirmation that John Dodd’s Beast was a real beast half a century ago is that in 1977 it was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest car in the world. The owner was not going to stop there, last year Dodd wanted to accelerate the car to a speed of 321 km / h – but the plan failed due to the death of a man. Relatives decided to earn extra money on a unique copy and let it go under the hammer. The auction will take place on the Car and Classic portal (the auction starts on March 9 at 13:00).

Today, the Beast is still on the move. Due to the fact that the car is registered as a passenger Rolls-Royce, it can be driven on public roads. The only obstacle to this may be fuel consumption, which is 40-120 liters per 100 km. The range is quite wide and depends mainly on how hard the driver presses the accelerator pedal to the floor.

By the way, “The Beast” became the hero of one of the issues of Top Gear back in 1998.