- 1,115
- Rivera
- Tsukishima-TDUDT
In the 1960s, Paul Jameson put a Rolls-Royce Meteor (often mistakenly described as a Merlin) engine into a chassis he built himself. He did not get around to building a body, and sold the car to Epsom automatic transmission specialist John Dodd, who had supplied the automatic gearbox, Fibre Glass Repairs in Bromley, Kent fitted a fibreglass body and the car was named The Beast (mk1)
The Beast (mk1) was sponsored by British Petroleum and was extremely popular at car shows all over Europe. (The engine is alleged to have come from a Boulton Paul Balliol training aircraft, and drives a General Motors TH400 automatic transmission) It was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most powerful road car. Unfortunately the first Beast (mk1) caught fire on the way back from a car show in Stockholm after meeting the King, John Dodd tried frantically to extinguish the fire but failed and The Beast was reduced to a burnt wreck.
Undeterred, Dodd bought the car back to England, salvaged the chassis, refurbished the front suspension and fitted the IRS from a Jaguar XJ12. He sourced a replacement engine, again from Paul Jameson; this time the engine was a true Merlin, but again it's exact origin is a little murky. Dodd reckons it's a Mk 35, but there apparently never was a Mk 35; a possibility is that it's a 113/114 from a post-war De Havilland Mosquito TT Mk. 35.
The Beast has used two different fibreglass bodies during its life; the first (mk1) a saloon shape in dark red and the second current existing Beast (mk2) a 2-door estate car in beige. In both incarnations the car used Rolls-Royce grilles, badges, and hood ornaments, none of which were authorized by the company.
The Beast was brought to the attention of Rolls-Royce, who took Dodd to court after he refused to remove their radiator grille, badges, and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. Dodd lost the court battle and the Rolls-Royce trademarked features were removed and the grille was replaced with one bearing Dodd's "JD" initials. Dodd now lives in Spain and still owns the car, occasionally driving it to automotive shows.
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