The famous self-made car The Beast with an aircraft Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine from the Second World War will be put up for auction again. In 2023, the unique car was sold for 72.5 thousand pounds, but the new owner expects to receive significantly more.
The history of “The Beast” began in the 1960s, when British engineer Paul Jameson decided to create a car with a Rolls-Royce Meteor tank engine. Later, transmission specialist John Dodd joined the project, and together they built a real engineering curiosity — a car with an aviation heart.
The first instance was destroyed by fire, but by 1972 an updated version appeared with a Merlin V12 engine — the same one that stood on Supermarine Spitfire and Avro Lancaster aircraft. The engine capacity was an incredible 27 liters, the power was from 750 to 850 hp, and the maximum speed reached 290 km/h.
In those years, it was one of the fastest cars allowed on public roads. With a length of 5.8 meters, “The Beast” received independent suspension, disc brakes and a smooth ride, despite the colossal engine.
The current owner repainted the body in metallic gray, updated the interior and returned the original Silver Shadow grille. At the end of November, the auction house Historics Auctioneers will again put The Beast up for auction and expects to raise several tens of thousands of pounds more than the previous price for the legendary car.