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A classic Bentley fitted with a 27-litre engine from a Second World War Spitfire fighter plane has gone on sale for a cool price equivalent to R7-million with a 400-litre fuel tank and ready for take-off.
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According to the london Daily Mail, engineer Bob Petersen spent three years creating the Bentley Meteor which, he said, will give its buyer “once-in-a-lifetime car that's a spectacular example of British engineering".
The Bentley Meteor is on show at London classic cars dealer Coys.
CELEB STATUS
The unusual set of wheels was featured by Top Gear earlier in 2012 with Jeremy Clarkson's sidekicks driving it.
Petersen used a chassis from a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II and then designed and built the coachwork to give it the look and feel of a vintage Bentley. It's finished in classic olive green with a matching leather interior.
The piece de resistance, however, is the 27-litre V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor engine derived from a Merlin engine used in the Spitfire fighter and the Lancaster bomber. It generates in excess of 634kW – a figure claimed to be more than any Bentley built by the marque’s Crewe facility.
To fire it up, according to information from the seller, the driver flicks two magneto switches then pushes the Spitfire starter button to allow the V12 to burst to life. The Bentley Meteor is said to have a top speed of 260km/h but also apparently slurps fuel at a rate of between 94 and 140 litres/100km; an inconvenience possibly circumvented by the 400-litre fuel tank.
We’re not too sure who will foot those fuel bills.
The car does have a number of modern features, though. The has petrol injection and electronic ignition technology, there’s a four-speed automatic transmission that can also be operated manually, power-assisted steering and disc brakes.
Image gallery
According to the london Daily Mail, engineer Bob Petersen spent three years creating the Bentley Meteor which, he said, will give its buyer “once-in-a-lifetime car that's a spectacular example of British engineering".
The Bentley Meteor is on show at London classic cars dealer Coys.
CELEB STATUS
The unusual set of wheels was featured by Top Gear earlier in 2012 with Jeremy Clarkson's sidekicks driving it.
Petersen used a chassis from a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II and then designed and built the coachwork to give it the look and feel of a vintage Bentley. It's finished in classic olive green with a matching leather interior.
The piece de resistance, however, is the 27-litre V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor engine derived from a Merlin engine used in the Spitfire fighter and the Lancaster bomber. It generates in excess of 634kW – a figure claimed to be more than any Bentley built by the marque’s Crewe facility.
To fire it up, according to information from the seller, the driver flicks two magneto switches then pushes the Spitfire starter button to allow the V12 to burst to life. The Bentley Meteor is said to have a top speed of 260km/h but also apparently slurps fuel at a rate of between 94 and 140 litres/100km; an inconvenience possibly circumvented by the 400-litre fuel tank.
We’re not too sure who will foot those fuel bills.
The car does have a number of modern features, though. The has petrol injection and electronic ignition technology, there’s a four-speed automatic transmission that can also be operated manually, power-assisted steering and disc brakes.
