Dodd Special

I LOVE GT40- Paolo · 01-09-06, 05:47 AM

I just read now on Evo magazine abuth the incredible Dodd Special, a sort of Rolls Royce lookalike featuring the...Merlin Spitfire V12 engine under his bonnet. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]
The car featured 750hp and was build around the end of the 70's.
The fotos are incredible...does anyone know something more about this car?
In internet i didnt found anything, but maybe I should use different criteria than Spitfire, Merlin or Dodd in google.

Thx
paolo [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

Simon · 01-09-06, 05:59 AM

AAAHHHHAAAA john Dodds Rolls Royce!
Remember it well. Used to destroy gearboxes on a regular basis and (if memory serves me) was destroyed in a fire on an Autobahn?

I LOVE GT40- Paolo · 01-09-06, 06:08 AM

ahahahaha, Great Simon.
NONO..u remember probably the red one (seems an anabolic Capri...3 times bigger..LOL).
I saw that in her new dress, done in yellow carbonfiber and looking something terrific and really TOO 70ees [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

The car looks like a rolls royce..coupè..and station wagon [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banana.gif[/img].
Seems today the car is in UK, coming from a long exilium in Spain.

If someone founds any pic that will be too iteresting I guess [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flamer.gif[/img]

Paolo

Simon · 01-09-06, 07:16 AM

"In the 1960s John Dodd of Kent, England put a Merlin engine (some say it actually was a Rover built Rolls-Royce Meteor, which was a de-tuned Merlin without superchargers and with steel components replacing some aluminium ones) in a car called "The Beast". Originally it had a grille from a Rolls Royce, but after complaints from them he had to change it. According to his own account he once drove by a Porsche driver on the autobahn who then called Rolls Royce asking about their "new model". The Beast was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most powerful road car. The engine came from a Boulton Paul Balliol training aircraft which would give 1,262 bhp (941 kW) at 8,500 feet (2,600 m). No supercharger was fitted to the engine in car so it "only" delivered about 850 bhp (630 kW). The chassis was custom made with a fibreglass body and used a General Motors TH400 automatic transmission."

Simon · 01-09-06, 07:17 AM

pic 2

Simon · 01-09-06, 07:17 AM

pic 3

Simon · 01-09-06, 07:18 AM

pic 4

Simon · 01-09-06, 07:19 AM

A DVLA search in 2004 turned up this...

Simon · 01-09-06, 07:20 AM

The last pic is the second/rebodied car (I think, may be the other way round)

I LOVE GT40- Paolo · 01-09-06, 08:12 AM

Yeah Simon, is exaclty that car [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
The car plate is even the same also if the new yellow body is totally different.

Incredible how he would fit a Merlin v12 inside that..but anyway TOO cool

Paolo [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif[/img]

Ron Earp · 01-09-06, 10:39 AM

Really cool!!!! What sort of times did it turn? Certainly superceded by time an development but dang, a 27L V12, you can't beat that!

David Briggs · 01-09-06, 10:59 PM

I don't know if it was the same gentleman but about 4 years ago at the Coronado Vintage Races(San Diego) there was a 1930's Rolls with a Merlin motor, the thing was a beast. The builder said that he had made 3 of them. He did a few demo runs by the Car Corral, the ground shook when he got on it!

Keith Hardy · 01-10-06, 03:43 AM

I remember this car well. John Dodd was a transmission specialist and used to travel to the Continent in the Beast to service his customers transmissions. As a matter of interest he used a Borg Warner Turbo Hydra 400 in this thing. Simon is right, it was destroyed by fire somewhere over the ditch. Rolls Royce took great exception to this vehicle and sued John in the High Court and won, so he had to remove their radiator and stop using the name. I didn't know it was "re-incarnated" though. I have seen the original car many times at car shows in the '70's and '80's where it was always guaranteed to pull a crowd - a fantastic beast! RR should have been proud of the association!

Paul Thompson 'Hooligan' · 01-10-06, 10:52 AM

Speak also to Club Chairman Roy Smart - He employed John Dodds many years ago and has more than a few stories to tell.

Mostly amusing, a 'likeable rogue' I heard someone say.
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

One thing though, I was once told this car had a Spitfire Type engine but not a Merlin, I was told it was a Meteor V12, A tank engine in fact, but who's to know for sure...

Another Merlin powered car was the 'Sandean Spitfire' - follow THIS LINK for more details - Very interesting.

Keith Hardy · 01-10-06, 07:30 PM

Interesting stuff! As a matter of further interest during it's service life the Spitfire was powered by 2 similar sized RR V12's - Merlin and Griffon, which was used in the later models from MKXII. The Griffon was far more powerful and ended up powering Coastal Command Shackletons for many years. The Meteor tank engine, used in the Centurion for example, was a Merlin family derivative so I'm sure that it was a "Spitfire" engine in spirit if not in fact (more likely to have been a Meteor -far more plentiful and a whole bunch cheaper). Whatever, he was (probably still is!) a great character who took on the might of the establishment.

Richard O'Clery · 01-11-06, 08:39 AM

Check it:

www.rodshop.com.au/project55.htm

I LOVE GT40- Paolo · 01-11-06, 12:49 PM

ahaha, Paul,
Plz lets try ask Roy to tell some of those funny tales.
John Dodd was surely a great enthusiast fun,and i think any of his adventures will be to cool to be read(I know he uses his car as a working car [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]).

Paul

Keith Hardy · 01-11-06, 05:59 PM

That vehicle looks to be carrying on a fine hot rodding tradition! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]