The Beast, powered by a WWII airplane engine, hits the auction block

1972 Historics Auctioneers The Beast by J.A. Ackley
Nov 25, 2025

What happens when you build a car around an engine? In this case, you get the legendary Beast.



Under the bonnet, a 27-liter Rolls-Royce Merlin V12. It’s the same engine behind the Supermarine Spitfire and Avro Lancaster warplanes that the British used to win World War II. Reports say the engine puts out somewhere between 750 to 850 horsepower.



To house that power plant, Fiber Glass Repairs created a two-door shooting brake, roughly 19 feet in length, that features a Rolls-Royce grille and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. In recent years, it’s been wrapped in a two-tone metallic gray, but its prior yellow paint remains underneath it.



Find this 1972 John Dodd “Beast” for auction at Historics Auctioneers, with an estimated value of £75,000-£100,000 (approximately $100,000-$130,000).