So what makes this car so special? It's not enough to just say that it has an "exaggerated" design and wild power...
The thing called an automobile is usually a vehicle that takes people from one point to another, etc... But for everyone, this is not always the case of course... An individual of the house, the way to feel free, the value cherished, something like therapy or whatever. ! In short, for some of us, it can be more than a vehicle, a necessity, an inanimate object.
The Beast, on the other hand, is a car that has left its owner in difficult situations at the same time but has gained so much fame. It is a record-breaking phenomenon that was shaped by the idea of Paul Jameson in the 1960s, owned by John Dodd, and has survived despite the countless events and changes it has gone through. Because once, it managed to enter the Guinness Book of Records as "the most powerful car in the world".
So what makes this car so special? So simple and yet so hard to explain. Because it is easy to say that it has only “exaggerated” design and wild power. That's why I'm going to go down the slightly more difficult path and dive into the details about it, and the features that make it the subject of this article are hidden there!
The engine came from the tank
It all started with Paul Jameson's purchase of a 12-cylinder and 27-liter huge engine signed by Rolls Royce. The "Merlin" engine, which was produced for Spitfire aircraft in the 2nd World War with its 1.200 HP power, started to be used in sea vehicles and tanks with its 850 HP version. His name was also "Meteor" and it is said that it was this machine that brought the Beast to life.
Trying to build a car with this engine, Jameson designed and produced a completely special chassis. It got its front suspension from a standard Austin A110 Westminster sedan and the rear axle from the Jaguar XJ12. He decided to take the "semi-automatic" gearbox business from automatic transmission specialist John Dodd. That's how Dodd, who actually owns a repair shop, met the Beast. It has a 3-speed automatic transmission for him. Because the engine, which did not reach high revs, however, offered serious traction power. Therefore, despite the high power, it has made a gearbox that will not "break up".
Learning that Jameson has decided to sell this car, which has nobody, Dodd bought the Monster and started a life that would almost identify with him. Deciding to make a lightweight body out of fiberglass, Dodd gave it a Ford Capri-inspired look. By taking the radiator grille from a Rolls Royce, he guaranteed "to cause a lot of trouble". Because Rolls Royce later sued him for using it without permission. We will come to him...
Dodd, who completed his car and started to spend a lot of time with it, threw himself on the highways of Germany, which had no speed limit at that time, whenever he got the opportunity, although his car was right-hand drive. John Dodd, who made speed trials and thus continued to improve the vehicle, also broke the speed record. 300 km/h per hour...
But on one of these trials and "fun", John got an unexpected backlash when he outstripped a Porsche. The owner of the Porsche in question called Rolls Royce (RR) company and asked for detailed information about this new "super fast" model. However, RR was unaware that he had such a model. Ultimately, he sued John Dodd for unauthorized use of his own icon and fragment. Dodd describes the case himself as follows:
“I used to go with the Beast to testify every day and park him in front of the courthouse. Rolls Royce representatives, on the other hand, came with an RR1-plated Silver Spirit and left the vehicle across the road. One day their car was towed, but mine was untouched. On the last day of court, my lawyer withdrew from the case, saying that he had become ridiculous because of the case. His final advice was not to bring the vehicle that day. So did I.”
And Dodd was in the papers the next day. Because he had come to the court by horse. Moreover, his daughters had accompanied him on horseback... He was fined £5. Also removed the radiator from the car.
Then a fire broke out in John's repair shop. The monster was also caught in the flames, his body turned to ashes. So John Dodd built it a new and different body. This time he gave it a different shape as the radiator grille and put his initials. However, he decided to make a fresh start and moved to Spain, to Malaga. He opened a service there. He became a local hero with his vehicle. Until his death, he took the vehicle out from time to time and used it in traffic. He wasn't paying to fill the tank because a gas station had taken charge of it. He even participated in races in the USA. His fame spread to many countries. However, John continued to renew the car's components without stopping, trying to keep it "alive" as on the first day.
After all, the Beast is waiting in the garage today, ready to hit the road at any moment. But John is no more and will never come again...