Rolls Royce "The Beast" and several aircraft engine cars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rolls‑Royce The Beast — now that’s one wild, fire‑breathin’ monster of a machine. She’s packin’ a full‑blown 27‑liter V12 Rolls‑Royce Merlin Meteor engine, same kinda heart they used in Spitfires. Built first by Paul Jameson back in the ’60s, then turned into a full‑on legend by John Dodd — the man who carried that whole masterpiece on his shoulders ’til he passed in December 2022.

Way back in the late ’70s or early ’80s, that big ol’ Beast even caught fire drivin’ home from a car show in Sweden. Folks say the show was such a hit that King Carl Gustaf himself invited John Dodd over just to lay eyes on the machine.

Rolls‑Royce once dragged Dodd into court tryin’ to make him yank off the Rolls‑Royce grille and badge. He lost that fight, so nowadays she wears a ‘JD’ logo instead — John Dodd’s own initials sittin’ proud where the RR used to be.

She started out burgundy red with a real Rolls‑Royce grille, but today she’s a kind of beige color with a front end that still looks mighty close to the original. And she even made it into the Guinness Book of Records back in her day — one of the biggest, baddest engines ever stuffed into a road‑goin’ car.

Funny thing is, she’s still registered as a Rolls‑Royce over in Britain, just like she always was.

That Merlin Meteor V12 ain’t unique to The Beast, though. You’ll find it in other wild builds too — like a Daimler Dingo Scout Car from the ’50s, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sports Coupe called Final Objective built by Australian Rod Hadfield, and even a Rover SD1 put together by British mechanic Charlie Broomfield.

But none of ’em carry the same outlaw legend as The Beast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 























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