Meteor V12 Special: Hillclimb legend powered by tank engine

If you’re already spooked by the soaring cost of petrol, this one-off is probably not for you – because it’s driven by a 27-litre Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol engine salvaged from a Centurion tank.

The remarkable mid-steer monster began to take shape more than 20 years ago after the vendor became enamoured with Robin Beech’s celebrated Handlye Special, the Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered car that has entertained thousands with its tyre-shredding appearances at various UK hill climbs.

Work began on the Handlye ‘homage’ in 2001, with the re-purposed Meteor engine (essentially, an un-supercharged Merlin) being installed in a custom-made ladder chassis and fitted with running gear from a Jaguar XJ12.

After the owner brought the car to the UK six years ago, the motor was rebuilt by Leeds-based aero engine specialists Flight Engineering who measured its output at 631bhp and its torque at a tree-stump-pulling 1449 lb/ft.

The prodigious amount of muscle necessitated modifying the Jaguar gearbox using components designed for drag racing and linking it to an additional step-up box in order to get the power to the wheels, which are custom-made, 21in items.

Despite its lightweight, hand-tailored bodywork, the Special still tips the scales at 2200kg – which is relatively little compared with the 47,000-plus kg the Meteor was required to propel when it was in a tank.

To make the car suitable for those family days out, it’s fitted with a rear bench seat which, like the mid-mounted driver’s seat, is nicely trimmed in mahogany-coloured leather.

Up front, the scene is more cockpit than dashboard, with a plethora of switches and a full complement of Jaguar instruments backed up by various supplementary gauges and a genuine aircraft clock. A single, centrally mounted aero screen provides the only weather protection, though there is a tonneau cover for fitting when the car is parked.

Starting, running and driving, the Special has been featured on the Discovery Channel and appeared at the Saunton Sands Golden Mile event for pre-’55 cars where it effortlessly reached a speed of 80mph – in first gear. With its current transmission ratios, its calculated to top out around the double-ton.

The Special is offered for sale in operational condition but is said to need “further development and improvement” – after which, no doubt, it will be ideal as a daily driver suitable for everything from the school run and supermarket trips to the odd drag race.

Alternatively the car can be moved from A to B on the bespoke trailer that it will be sold with – and which the new owner might be grateful of once he or she has experienced the engine’s 5mpg appetite for high-octane fuel.

1952 Meteor V12 Special

On sale with Historics, Brooklands, November 26. Estimate: £75,000-£95,000.