Rolls-Royce Merlin alternative uses

The Rolls-Royce Merlin, although designed as an aero engine, was used in other applications both on land and at sea. A derivative called the Meteor was developed for use in tanks.

"The Beast (car)" redirects here. For the U.S. Presidential limousine, see Presidential state car (United States).

Automotive

Michael Wilcock of Sussex, England, built the Swandean Spitfire Special,[1] using a Merlin XXV engine acquired from a scrap yard for one hundred and forty pounds. The engine was installed in a home-brewed chassis confected from two Daimler Dingo scout car chassis. The car was run in the Brighton Speed Trials[2] in 1953, and was sold to James Duffy of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1956. As of 2005, the vehicle is still in St. Louis, where it is undergoing restoration.

The Beast
The Beast (mk2) at Wings and Wheels in 2014.

In the 1960s, Paul Jameson put a Rolls-Royce Meteor (often mistakenly described as a Merlin) engine into a chassis he built himself.[3] 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)[4] The Beast (mk1) was sponsored by British Petroleum and was extremely popular at car shows all over Europe. The engine is claimed to be a Merlin from a Boulton Paul Balliol training aircraft,[5] 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.[6] 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. 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, based on a Ford Capri.[7] 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.[8][9] Dodd now lives in Spain and still owns the car, occasionally driving it to automotive shows.[8][5]

In the 1970s, Jameson built his first Merlin-engined car, this being a mid-engined six-wheeler.[10] The engine of this vehicle was two-stage supercharged and was, in 1988, reportedly in a museum in The Netherlands.[11] His second was fitted in a 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, now owned by TV presenter Jay Leno in California.[12]

Final Objective

Recently in Australia, Rod Hadfield, of the Castlemaine Rod Shop, used the Merlin engine in a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air sports coupe, which was named Final Objective.[13] The car has an aircraft-themed paint scheme.

Rover SD1

A Rover SD1 was substantially modified by Charlie Broomfield using a Rover Meteor tank derivative of the Merlin. A car mechanic in the UK, he now gives input as a technical guru for Practical Performance Magazine. The car is matte black and the stated aim is to achieve 200 mph (320 km/h).[14]

Boat racing

In the mid-1940s early 1950s, aviation engines gained in popularity as powerplants of choice for unlimited hydroplane racing given their relatively high power-to-weight ratio, reliability, and availability. Starting with the Miss Windsor raceboat at Detroit in 1946, several ever-more-powerful variants of the Merlin were so used, over the next decades, in a heated battle against the equally popular Allison V-1710. In unlimited hydroplane racing, both were eventually supplanted by gas turbine engines, which exhibit even more favourable power-to-size and power-to-weight ratios.[15]

Some of the most significant Merlin-powered hydroplanes include:

  • Slo-mo-shun V (from 1954 on, 1954 Gold Cup winner, first for Merlin power)
  • Miss Thriftway (converted in 1957, 1957 Gold Cup winner)
  • Hawaii Kai III (1958 Gold Cup and National Champion, first Merlin powered National Championship)
  • Miss Thriftway/Miss Century 21 (Gold Cup 1961-1962, National Champion 1960-1962)
  • Miss Bardahl (Gold Cup and National Champion 1963-1965, 1967-1968)
  • Miss Budweiser (Gold Cup 1969-1970 and 1973, National Champion 1969-1972, 1977)
  • Atlas Van Lines (Gold Cup 1972, 1977-1979, 1982-1984, National Champion 1972, 1976, 1978- 1979, 1982-1983
  • Pay 'n Pak (Gold Cup 1974-1975, National Champion 1973-1975).

Meteor

The Meteor was a tank engine developed from the Merlin in World War II. It was detuned, did not have a supercharger, and ran on lower-octane pool petrol (as did the early Merlins). Manufacture was transferred from Rolls-Royce to Rover, who developed the smaller Meteorite V-8 engine from it.

References
  1. Swandean Spitfire Special Archived 26 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Brighton Speed Trials
  3. Booij 2009, p. 82.
  4. "The Beast"
  5. Ollie Marriage (13 November 2008). "evo10 Dream Drives: The Beast". Evo.
  6. Guinness 1975, p. 141.
  7. "The Beast – A 27L V12 Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Street Legal Car". SIA Magazin. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  8. Booij 2009, p. 83.
  9. Video of Dodd driving The Beast, videotaped and uploaded by his daughter Susan
  10. Photo of Paul Jameson's 6-wheeler
  11. "Supercar Classics" magazine, March 1988
  12. Heatley, Tyler (29 April 2019). "Jay Leno Drives His 1934 Rolls-Royce With V12 Merlin Engine". Motorious. Yahoo News. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. Final Objective
  14. Edelstein, Stephen (11 December 2013). "27-Liter Rolls-Royce-Powered Rover SD1 Hits 160 MPH: Video". Motor Authority. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  15. The Packard Merlin in Hydroplanes and raceboats Retrieved: 8 April 2008

Bibliography
  • Booij, Jereon. "27 Litres, nine court cases, 268 mph (in theory), one jail sentence: meet The Beast and the man who unleashed it." (Article and images) Classic Cars Issue 428, March 2009.
  • Mc Whirter, Norris (editor.) . Guinness Book of World Records 22nd edition, 1975. Enfield, UK: Guinness Superlatives Ltd, 1975. ISBN
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