Hi there,
I've been trying to find a video clip to download of the station wagon that some guy called John fitted a Spitfire engine into. I'm sure Jeremy C did an article about it, but a search on the web doesn't turn up much.
I'm pretty sure the car ended up in Malta at some point. Its been around for so long there must be video out there....
Can anyone help?
Ta!
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SM,
I don't know about any video clip, or even an InterNet image. But get a copy of "Bizarre Cars", by Colin Burnham, Pub. Osprey Automotive. Pages 34-35 show the car you describe. About the only things Rolls Royce about it are the radiator grille and the Merlin engine - GOK what the rest is!.
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What a great machine that was - ugly as sin but went like the clappers.. It wasn't called 'The Beast' for nothing, you know ;)
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No clue on the video clip but I think this is the car you're thinking of:
tinyurl.co.uk/fcy0
Terry
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No clue on the video clip but I think this is the car you're thinking of: tinyurl.co.uk/fcy0 Terry
Or this one:
tinyurl.co.uk/p421
Terry
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Do you mean the John Dodd 'Rolls Royce'?
www.theminifarm.com/john_dodd.htm
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The last I heard of it, it had caught fire and been completely destroyed.
V
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I know of a NZ guy who has a small workshop in Surrey (friend of a friend). When I happened to visit his workshop contained an engine from a Challenger tank ( bought from the Swedish army) This man truly has the ability and ambitions to build something similar to the 'Beast'.I hope he succeeds , I'd love to take a trip round the M25 in something like that just to see the looks of disbelief.
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Hi there,
The car you are refering to is called "the beast" and was featured on Top Gear in 1998. I taped the programme and I still have the tape. If you want I can do you a copy on tape or dvd.
Carl
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According to Wikipedia, The Beast is now in Spain: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlin
Scroll down to "Civilian Uses".
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I had a great magazine article about "The Beast" somewhere from years ago, but I'll have no chance of finding it now. Described Dodd and his son doing a high speed run in it and was a very entertaining read.
One of the staff writers on Practical Performance Car magazine has fitted a Meteor engine into a Rover SD1. As its the tank version of the Merlin with no supercharger it only produces 650bhp, but he has fitted his own fuel injection so this may have increased.
He did an early morning covert run up the hill at Goodwood FoS last year, and says he is going back there this year. 650bhp is not that extraordinary in a road car these days, but a 27 litre engine still is!
www.ppcmag.co.uk/staffcardetail.asp?id=8
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Some info here:
forums.gttimes.com/viewtopic.php?t=7471
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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If anyone is interested in the Meteor engined SD1, IMO the spiritual successor of The Beast, there are video clips of it here. The first one is great! Starts off sounding like a tractor then changes to WW2 fighter when revved up!!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-aC5B348rA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=85jfBxQP4ZI&mode=related&s...=
And it has its own forum here:
www.ppcmag.co.uk/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=15
I'm in no way affiliated with PPC magazine, just enjoy reading it...
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