Classic Bentley fitted with 27-litre SPITFIRE engine goes on sale for £500,000 (but even Top Gear stars might wince at the fuel bills)
By Anna Edwards
PUBLISHED: 16:21, 2 November 2012 | UPDATED: 19:35, 2 November 2012
This is a car with a little extra va-va voom - but you'll need a pretty big wallet to keep it running.
A stunning Bentley went on sale today - but this is a car that will certainly have heads turning.
The classic car it has been fitted with a 27-litre Spitfire engine.
Dedicated engineer Bob Petersen spent three-years creating the incredible Bentley Meteor - which was featured on Top Gear in March.
What a head-turner! Talented engineer Bob Petersen spent three-years creating the incredible Bentley Meteor
The Bentley has been fitted with a 27-litre V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor engine which was derived from the legendary Merlin engine used in the Spitfire and Lancaster bomber
Luxury: James May and Richard Hammond from BBC's Top Gear show are pictured driving the impressive car
It sounds like nothing on the road, is entirely road legal and comes with a price-tag of 'in excess of £500,000'.
The owner will get a 'once-in-a-lifetime car' which is a 'spectacular example of British engineering'.
The Bentley has been fitted with a 27-litre V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor engine which was derived from the legendary Merlin engine used in the Spitfire and Lancaster bomber.
As a result, this motoring masterpiece boasts a staggering 850 brake horse power - more than any Bentley ever built by the famous Crewe car maker.
To fire it up, the driver flicks the twin magneto switches, which comes from a Lancaster, and then pushes the ex-Spitfire starter button for the 27-litre V12 engine to burst into life.
With its epic power, it is estimated the 19-foot long machine can accelerate to a top speed of 160mph - but the fuel-hungry machine only does two to three miles per gallon.
However, because of its thirsty engine, Bob fitted the Meteor with a 400-litre fuel tank - meaning a trip to the pump will set its owner back around £550.
The owner will get a 'once-in-a-lifetime car' - although they will need a pretty big wallet to fill up the tank
To fire it up, you flick the twin magneto switches, which comes from a Lancaster and then push the ex-Spitfire starter button for the 27-litre V12 engine to burst into life
This motoring masterpiece boasts a staggering 850bhp - more than any Bentley ever built by the famous Crewe car maker
Bob, who runs Bob Petersen Engineering in Devon, used the chassis from a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II to harness the car’s awesome power.
He then meticulously designed and built the coachwork to give it the unmistakable feel and look of a vintage Bentley.
But he also gave the car a modern touch, with the Meteor fitted with power steering and powerful disc brakes which provide awesome stopping power for the behemoth.
The Meteor, which Petersen built for a customer, is being offered by classic car experts Coys.
THE POWER OF THE BENTLEY METEOR
The car has a top speed of 160mph.
It's an expensive tank as it only does two to three miles per gallon.
Boasts 850 brake horse power, almost as much as a Formula One racing car.
The Meteor has a 400-litre fuel tank - to fill the tank would cost around £550.
Expected to fetch at least £500,000.
It was used by Top Gear for a Battle of Britain-themed episode earlier this year, where Jeremy Clarkson pitted it against a German car fitted with the engine from a BMW aircraft.
Coys doesn’t like to discuss the price of its cars, but it is understood they want offers in excess of £500,000.
Dan Zuckerman, a salesman at Coys, said: 'It is absolutely unique, a spectacular example of British engineering.
'The attention to detail is exquisite - it really is an outstanding car, it certainly looks like the work of W.O Bentley
'It is a once-in-a-lifetime car which was the result of years of hard work and the vision of one man who commissioned it.
'He is well-known in motoring circles and has a love for the strange and unusual.
'A lot of his pleasure came from the process of it being built and after driving it on the road for a year he is now looking at his next project.
'I’ve not had a chance to really drive it but, to steal a phrase from Rolls-Royce, the performance is 'adequate'.'
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