Rolls-Royce – Pulpaddict

MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST

Named by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the world’s most powerful car” in 1977, the MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST has clocked 183 mph!

The ultimate expression of British engineering endeavor, creativity and ingenuity, John Dodd’s “Beast” is being offered for sale by auction through Europe’s largest classic car marketplace carandclassic.com.

In highly original condition, 19 feet long and powered by an ex-aircraft 27-litre Merlin engine, the legendary history of MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST is wholly intertwined with that of its creator, John Dodd, who passed away at age 90, in December 2022.

The Beast’s rolling chassis, however, started life in 1966, built by Paul Jameson as a road-going car originally powered by a 27-litre Meteor Rolls-Royce engine. John Dodd, who built the car’s gearbox, eventually acquired and sent it to Santa Pod Raceway owners Fibre Glass Repairs to be bodied. It was then that it gained a Rolls-Royce grille and mascot, in a nod to the engine’s provenance.

Even fire couldn’t put an end to such a project, as – when the Beast was damaged whilst coming back from Sweden – Dodd simply decided to improve on the original concept: a new V12 Merlin engine was acquired and fitted (the same unit powering the Beast today) and a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow grille was added. A legal court battle could not put a stop to Dodd, who may have fled after losing his case against Rolls-Royce (who objected to the brand name being used for The Beast), only to have the car join him later on in Spain, where it was kept in regular use. Ironically, the V5 still lists The Beast as a Rolls-Royce.

A custom interior includes a bank of red switches which are used to initiate the starting sequence for the Merlin engine. The front suspension uses Austin elements whilst the rear is derived from a Jaguar XJ12 and sports a heavy-duty Currie axle.

The heart of the MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST is its naturally-aspirated V12 Merlin engine which reportedly delivers around 750 horsepower at the flywheel. In 1973 the RAC recorded the car at a top speed of 183 mph. The Guinness Book of Records listed it as the most powerful road car in the world in 1977. Fuel economy won’t break any records however at a reported two mpg!

“Car & Classic was the logical choice for the first sale of the Beast in its 50-year history” says Car & Classic CEO Tom Wood. “Our online auction is now the largest in the UK and the site attracts millions of people monthly. Not that this car will need much promotion – it is so famous it can be referred by its nickname, ‘The Beast’, and classic car enthusiasts will immediately know which example of eccentric motoring heritage we’re talking about.

The MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST auction starts on March 9^th and lasts for seven days. For more information about Car & Classic auctions, please visit https://www.carandclassic.com/

Sir Michael Caine’s first car heads to auction

Film legend Sir Michael Caine’s first ever car, a 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe with a fascinating history, is being auctioned on March 15 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

One of just 506 Silver Shadow Two-Door Drophead Coupes that were hand built by Rolls-Royce’s in-house coachbuilder Mulliner Park Ward from 1967–1971, the car is estimated at between £100,000-£150,000 in the auction hosted by H&H Classics.

The story goes that actor wandered into the Jack Barclay showroom on Berkeley Square, with a handwritten shopping list which read, “milk, bread, newspaper, cigarettes, Rolls-Royce.”

Unkempt and unshaven, he was ushered off the premises, so he popped over to Mayfair’s other Rolls-Royce dealership, H.A. Fox on Dover Street, where he found the Silver Shadow which had been taken into stock after the playwright and screenwriter, Terence Rattigan, cancelled his order for it.

Having bought the car, despite not having his own driving licence, the Italian Job star found it was much cheaper to employ a chauffeur than pay the premium his insurers quoted should he decide to go down the ‘L-plate’ route.

He subsequently took great pleasure in being driven past the offending Jack Barclay salesman in his new car and flicking him a V-sign.

The car went on to feature extensively in the 1969 documentary, Candid Caine.

Less than two years later, the Silver Shadow was acquired by John Leonard Ernest Leach (Jack Leach), owner of the Gasworks restaurant in Fulham, which became a notorious hotspot for the rich and famous.

A familiar sight on the Fulham and Kings roads for decades afterwards, Leach continued to own the car for the next 43 years until his death in 2013.

The car has been treated to an extensive restoration by its current owner and is now refinished in its original colour of black, and it will go under the hammer the day after Caine’s 90th birthday.

ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE

An ultra-luxury Super Coupe, the ‘23 ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE is a plug-in electric for one-percenters. Howard Walker, CGC Road Test Editor, blogs about the SPECTRE in EQ magazine.

According Torsten Mǖller-Ötvos, Rolls-Royce CEO, “Spectre possesses all the qualities that have secured the Rolls-Royce legend. This incredible motor car, conceived from the very beginning as our first fully-electric model, is silent, powerful and demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited to electrification. Spectre’s all-electric powertrain will assure the marque’s sustained success and relevance while dramatically increasing the definition of each characteristic that makes a Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce.”

The silk has finally been pulled back to reveal what is set to be the most exciting, most significant, most desirable luxury car of 2023, the all-new, all-electric ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE. But don’t rush for your Amex Centurion card just yet. The first cars won’t be delivered until the fourth quarter of next year, when it will be priced between the Cullinan SUV and Phantom, somewhere around $400,000.

div.container > div.row > div > article > div.simple-text > div > div > div.elementor-section-wrap > section.elementor-element.elementor-element-edit-mode.elementor-element-fbc66d2 > div.elementor-container > div > div > div.elementor-column-wrap > div.elementor-widget-wrap > div > div.elementor-widget-container > div > p:nth-child(1) > span”>Continue reading Howard Walker’s story at https://equicapmag.com/wheels/rolls-royce-spectre-2024-ev/

2023 Rolls-Royce Spectre: extreme weather testing

Gareth Herincx

7 hours ago
Auto News

The all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre has concluded winter testing in Arjeplog, Sweden – just 55km from the Arctic Circle.

Temperatures dropped to -40˚C temperatures and Rolls-Royce estimates 25% of a 2.5 million km testing programme (simulating 400 years of use) is now complete for the “Electric Super Coupé”.

“The announcement of every new Rolls-Royce motor car carries a great weight of expectation, but Spectre is unquestionably the most anticipated product in the marque’s modern history,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

“This is because it is much more than a product. It is a symbol for our bright, bold electric future, and it represents a seismic shift in our powertrain technology.

“It is for this reason that we have created a testing programme that is as significant and historical as Spectre itself.”

There are several reasons for subjecting the marque’s products to such extremes. When the first prototypes are built, engineers perform very basic tests in extreme conditions to ensure that each system is operational and functions at a basic level in a cold weather environment.

This test is combined with the beginnings of the refinement process, focusing on noise and vibration, for instance. The variables that affect this include the materials selected for major hardware components to the density of the door rubbers, bushing compounds, fastening materials and even properties of bonding agents.

The performance of these variables can change considerably when subjected to extreme temperatures – likewise the efficiency of the motor car’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling systems.

By driving on low traction surfaces, such as snow and ice, and wilfully destabilising the car, the engineers can create dynamic circumstances at low speeds that would ordinarily occur at high speeds.

This can be reviewed and guided in situ and in slow motion, in doing so parametrising and finessing cold-weather vehicle performance in areas such as handling, controllability, stability, predictability and the “waftability” that defines the Rolls-Royce experience.

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Rolls-Royce’s ‘Flying Lady’ reimagined

Gareth Herincx

3 days ago
Auto News

The iconic Spirit of Ecstasy figurine has been redesigned for the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever.

The streamlined mascot will grace the bonnet of the upcoming all-electric Spectre, 111 years on from when it was was first registered as the intellectual property of Rolls-Royce.

The figurine has been remodelled with a lower, more dynamic stance that brings her much closer to the drawings made by her original creator, the illustrator and sculptor Charles Sykes.

The new Spirit of Ecstasy stands 82.73mm tall, compared to her predecessor’s 100.01mm. Her robes, which flow behind her in the slipstream – often but erroneously characterised as ‘wings’ – have been subtly reshaped to make them more aerodynamic and realistic.

The most visible change is her stance. Previously, she has stood with her feet together, legs straight and tilting at the waist. Now, she is a true goddess of speed, braced for the wind, one leg forward, body tucked low, her eyes focused eagerly ahead.

These changes have both practical and stylistic benefits, contributing to Spectre’s remarkable aerodynamic properties. The earliest Spectre prototypes have a drag coefficient (cd) of just 0.26, making it the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever created.

“The Spirit of Ecstasy is the most famous and desirable automotive mascot in the world,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

“More than just a symbol, she is the embodiment of our brand, and a constant source of inspiration and pride for the marque and its clients.

“Like our brand, she has always moved with the times while staying true to her nature and character. In her new form she is more streamlined and graceful than ever before – the perfect emblem for the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever created, and for gracing the prow of our bold electric future.”

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