The Beast Car John Dodd

John Dodd's famous monster is up for sale at cheap rate. The Beast is one of the most popular custom cars ever built in Britain, thanks to its powerful 27-liter V12 Merlin engine - similar to that used by Spitfire and Hurricane WWII fighter aircraft.

It is believed the car produces 740 horsepower and 760 lb-ft of torque, though this number could be higher as few dynos in the world can accommodate an automobile. Furthermore, you can double this power output - if your original supercharger is replaced.

Fast Facts About The Beast, A Merlin V12-Powered Car from England

The Beast is renowned for its 27-liter aero engine, distinctive looks, and eccentric owner John Dodd who became somewhat of a celebrity in Britain due to the lengthy lawsuit filed against him by Rolls-Royce who wanted no association with the car.

Paul Jameson built the car from scratch in 1966 with a Meteor V12 WWII tank engine - its direct sibling to the more renowned Merlin V12 aero engine.

john dodd the beast

John Dodd had been contracted to provide an automatic transmission for the car; however, he purchased the rolling chassis and completed construction himself.

The Beast has had two lives; the original Meteor-powered car burned to the ground during Dodd's return trip home from Sweden after meeting the king. Dodd then rebuilt it with a Merlin V12 engine and new body, now offered for public sale by Dodd family ownership for the first time.

Building The Beast

British Formula 1 teams have always been known for creating remarkable machines in their garages. Enzo Ferrari used to refer to these small teams as "Garagiste," as they frequently worked out of small studios. But these same British F1 engineers also designed cars that beat Ferraris - which no doubt annoyed Ferrari immensely.

Above Video: This short film chronicles the history of the Beast and features Top Gear host Steve Berry discussing it with John Dodd's son - who likely knows more about the car than anyone else on earth.

Paul Jameson, of Garagiste fame in the mid-1960s, made one such car with a 27-liter Meteor V12 tank engine underneath. To accomplish this feat, he built an entirely custom chassis and installed suspension components from Jaguar rear end and Wolseley front end - an unlikely combination.

John Dodd

Jameson had a custom gearbox made by Epsom automatic transmission specialist John Dodd during the build process. This transmission had to handle 750 horsepower and 760 lb-ft of torque, so its engineering was no small feat.

Jameson's project eventually ended, so Dodd took over and completed the car's build process. Back then, road licensing authorities were more open to wild and beautiful vehicles than today - thus, Dodd was able to get it fully road legal - which it still is today.

Dodd mistakenly assumed his car to be a Rolls-Royce because of its Rolls-Royce Meteor engine under the hood, prompting Rolls to sue and have Dodd become something of an celebrity in British media for his antics. Eventually, Dodd received permission to modify and redesign his ride with an appropriate grille up front; this resulted in a cease-and-desist court case from Rolls Royce which eventually led to Dodd becoming famous for his battles with them.

A Visit With the King and a Disaster

Due to its growing fame, and due to its eccentric owner, Dodd was invited by many across Europe; one particularly captivated fan was King Gustav of Sweden who invited Dodd to come and bring The Beast along for the journey.

On this journey, the car would make it from the UK to Sweden and meet Swedish royalty; unfortunately, tragedy would strike on its return leg when a potential fuel line issue led to it burning to death along the side of an interstate; no amount of efforts by Dodd could save it now.

Though the incident proved disastrous, Dodd still managed to secure a PS17k insurance payout that enabled him to rebuild the car with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine rather than the previous Meteor one.

Rebuilding The Beast

When work on rebuilding the Beast began with an all-new engine under the hood, Merlin above V12 believed that without its supercharger fitted, every part of the car needed to be rebuilt from scratch. This proved true.