Bojan Vrbnjak
At first you can't help but just stared into a car that hears the name The Beast. This creation looks straight out of something science fiction movie or it is a fetus the imagination of a mad scientist. However, this creation John Dodd with its 27 liter engine Merlin falls more into the latter category. If you are brave enough, the car is now for sale at the auction site Car & Classic in the United Kingdom.
It's a motor 27 times larger from the base model engine VW Golf. The long front bonnet is therefore more than necessary. This is also the reason why the vehicle is called “The Beast". Dodd originally boasted that the naturally aspirated engine could 950 BAM, but current estimates are closer 750 BAM. But that doesn't really matter, because he was The Beast leta 1977 enrolled in Guinness Book of Records as the most powerful car in the world and reached a top speed of almost 300 km/h. In an era of adventurous creations as it was Stutz Blackhawkis Cadillac Eldorado from 1973 seems calm, otherwise mighty Lincoln Continental Town Car and from 1977 almost reasonable.
But the strangest thing is that he was The Beast originally registered as Rolls-Royce and even had a mask from the model Silver Shadow. Whether it was the car's registration or his rebellious spirit that spurred him on, he did Dodd liked to joke about this luxury brand. According to the magazine Classic Driver he called the company and presented himself as a customer who wanted to buy a car that he had just seen driving by on one of the European roads. This is how the myth arose that someone a baron with a Porsche called at Rolls-Royce, after overtaking him on the German highway "The Beast". Of course, it wasn't any baron, but rather Dodd alone. Then it is Rolls-Royce sued Dodd for trademark infringement. The case was a real media frenzy and Dodd came to the hearing with "The Beast".
He later recalled: “I drove The Beast every day and parked it right outside the courthouse.” The court ruled in favor of Rolls-Royce and imposed on Dodd fine, which he refused to pay. After he lost his appeal and she threatened him imprisonment, he fled to Spain, to avoid extradition. Dodd died in 2022 at the age of 90. "The Beast” eventually lost its Rolls-Royce guise and was last registered in 2018. The auction begins March 9 and offers you the opportunity to compete for a unique, custom-made “sports car” with a 27 liter engine.
