John Dodd

John Dodd (13 December 1932 — 6 December 2022) was an English engineer, and automatic transmission specialist. Dodd was the creator of the aero-engined car, "The Beast", which featured in several television programmes, and received large-scale press coverage during Dodd's legal disputes with Rolls-Royce, over his use of the firms' radiator grill and Spirit of Ecstasy.

Personal life John Dodd was born on 13 December 1932 to Kathleen Kelleher and Arthur Moreton Dodd, although it was later proved that his biological father was William Harper. Dodd received little formal education, and was abandoned by Arthur Dodd at the age of ten. Dodd learnt to pilot an aircraft at Croydon Airport, and later bought a Piper Apache which he stored at Biggin Hill Airport, in London. In his earlier life, Dodd was only able to finance his flying hobby by making contacts with people at Biggin Hill, effectively promoting himself into a position he couldn't otherwise afford. He died at The Hospital Quirónsalud, on 6 December 2022, aged 89.

In 1966 Paul Jameson began the construction and testing of a prototype aero-engined vehicle, which would later form the foundations of Dodd's "Beast". It was after landing his plane at Biggin Hill in around 1970, that Dodd first met Jameson, who had been testing a prototype aero-engined vehicle on the runway, subsequently resulting in mechanical failure. Jameson explained to Dodd of his struggle to find a gearbox which could withstand the immense torque of the Rolls-Royce Meteor engine which was fitted to the vehicle.

"The Beast" Mark I In around 1971, one year after their meeting, Dodd bought the Meteor-equipped chassis from Jameson for around £400. The rear axle was a Jaguar IRS unit sourced from an XJ12, while the front axle, suspension, and non-assisted steering was shared with an Austin A110 Westminster. In April 1973, Dodd featured in Hot Car with the Mark I "Beast". In February 1974, Dodd and "The Beast" featured on the BBC programme, Nationwide, where Dodd conservatively estimated "The Beast's" build-cost at £10,000, and stated that he estimated the car's value at £56,000. In the interview, Dodd noted that "The Beast" was capable of accelerating from 0-70 in around three seconds, and rated the engine as capable of 700 hp at the flywheel. of "Fibreglass Repairs", in Kent, who specialised in building bodies for drag-race use. |author=John Dodd|title=Street MachineIn 1998, "The Beast" featured in an episode of Top Gear in which Steve Berry drove the car, and interviewed John's son, Paul Dodd.

In his later life, Dodd commissioned Currie Performance to modify a Ford nine-inch rear axle, which reduced the theoretical top speed to around 200 mph, in view of achieving a competitive run at Santa Pod Raceway. However, Dodd did not manage to fit the new axle prior to his death, with it being installed later, in preparation for the sale of "The Beast".

Legal Disputes In October 1974, Dodd was arrested after fleeing from a police car in excess of 100 mph along 21-miles of the A1, in Northamptonshire, only stopping due to a road block. Dodd, who allegedly originally planned to plead not-guilty, appeared in court on 29 September 1975, having missed the earlier hearing after his Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow broke-down in Paris. Following the hearing, Dodd received a six-month driving disqualification, was fined £75, and ordered to pay £25 in costs. In an interview on Fleet Street, Dodd stated "It's fine for bombing down motorways, but it couldn't cope with the rush-hour".

On 14 April 1981, upon the second hearing, Dodd arrived at court on horseback, in view of keeping his promise not to use or exhibit "The Beast". In an interview to the press, Dodd stated "I decided on one horse-power, rather than 796... The joke of it is, I think the journey on horseback took about the same time as the journey last week in the car". During this hearing, despite Dodd refusing to renew his promise, the Judge, Mr Justice Walton, ordered him to adhere to the agreement until the full hearing. Since then, the car had been seen on the road, and Dodd had taken it to a "custom-car show". Dodd later revealed that he had to pay between £17,000 and £18,000 in fines and legal fees, resulting in the repossession of his Piper Apache aircraft.

After losing the case to Rolls-Royce, Dodd removed the radiator grill, Spirit of Ecstasy, and any other Rolls-Royce badging, instead fitting the car with a radiator grill marked "JD": John Dodd. Since then, the new owner has re-fitted "The Beast" with a Rolls-Royce radiator grill and Spirit of Ecstasy, and repainted over the original Mark II paintwork, described by Jonny Smith as "prosthetic limb beige".