No: John Dodd’s one-off car, known as The Beast, is no longer reported as being for sale. Hobbs Parker says it sold at its Ashford classic-car auction in April 2026 for £49,775, including buyer’s premium. That is the latest reported sale result available here; a later private resale or relisting is not established.
What is John Dodd’s The Beast?
The Beast is a unique 1972 shooting brake associated with British engineer and automatic-transmission specialist John Dodd. It is not a production Rolls-Royce model. Its rebuilt configuration is powered by a 27-litre Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk35 V12, paired with a bespoke automatic transmission developed by Dodd to cope with the engine. Historics Auctioneers describes the car and its specification; Hobbs Parker also reports the 27-litre Merlin in its April 2026 sale report.
Why do sources mention both a Meteor and a Merlin?
The engines belong to different stages of the car’s history. Paul Jameson built the bespoke chassis around a Meteor tank engine. Dodd acquired the project and rebuilt it with the Merlin after the original car was extensively damaged by fire during a trip to Sweden. The Meteor explains the chassis’s origins; the rebuilt car is Merlin-powered. The auction accounts from Historics Auctioneers and Hobbs Parker describe that chronology.
What did The Beast sell for?
The reported results are separate sales at different venues and dates, not competing estimates of a single current price.
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| Date and venue | Reported result | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 2023, Car & Classic | £72,500 | Reported sale result from that auction. Car & Classic auction listing |
| April 2026, Hobbs Parker, Ashford | £49,775, including buyer’s premium | Reported sale result at that auction. Hobbs Parker sale report |
Neither figure should be treated as a live asking price or a general valuation. The 2026 report is the latest sale result established here.
How much power does the Merlin make?
Historics Auctioneers’ 2025 listing gives an approximate range of 750–850 hp, but that is an attributed estimate, not a verified output. The listing cautions: “Performance figures remain a subject of some debate, as formal testing was never conducted under controlled conditions.” No top speed should therefore be presented as a confirmed test result.
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Was The Beast officially the world’s most powerful car?
Car & Classic’s 2023 auction documentation reports that The Beast received 1977 Guinness recognition as “the world’s most powerful car.” That claim is part of the car’s reported history in the listing; a direct Guinness record entry is not established here, so it should not be stated as independently verified.
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