“The Beast” is one of America’s best-known racing cars in the early days of sports car racing and hill-climbing. Located in New Hampshire.
The owner has owned this car for almost 70 years and is retiring from driving, asking $80,000
Lindy Hansen of Auto Engineering, Bedford Ma built this unique sports racer for Sherwood Johnston, later a winning driver for Briggs Cunningham’s American sportsracing team , also drove a Cunningham Corvette at Lemans.
Johnston had campaigned the original 1951 XK-120 for a season, and decided to convert the swooping lines of the Jaguar to a somewhat more Spartan aluminum body, built by a constructor of Midget and Sprint race cars in Rhode Island.
The body was stripped and converted to an all-aluminum cycle fender “Spyder” to save weight. In this configuration, the car won many championships, most strikingly holding the Mount Washington Hillclimb Record.
Johnston claimed that the beasts final hour was in holding back five D-Type Jaguar Factory Race cars for nine laps at Hagerstown MD. It had already been two SCAA high-point championships for the year and was a magnet for all eyes wherever it ran.
Subsequent drivers included Paul Ceresole, Jack Crusoe, and other prominent drivers of the 50’s.
The Car was bought by Roger Dowd in 1957, and won the Unrestricted Class at Watkins Glen in 1958, finishing ninth overall against Ferraris and Canadian Sadler. Driver was his brother John.
Owner Roger Dowd began to restore the car, a task made easier because the body was aluminum and the chassis and engine was kept under cover but made more difficult by the fact that “the Beast” was a unique blend of English Power plant and American Hot Rod practices. Hansen bored out the original 3.4 engine to just under four litres, hand-fabricated the collector box carrying triple SU carbs and used pre-war Ford friction shocks to improve the handling. Brakes are Alfin aluminum drums. engine originally built by Edgar Lindskog .
Thought to be the first Jaguar to run 3 SU carbs on a custom intake manifold, fabricated and designed in 1953.
Spares include: four wheels, and two sets of exhaust pipes.
Car runs and drives very well! When weather permits we will be adding a driving Video.
Terms & Conditions
This item is being sold as is, where is with no warranty, expressed written or implied unless there is a warranty in effect from the factory. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein, and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, imperfection, defect or damage. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected this item, and to have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgement solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects associated with this vehicle at the buyer’s request prior to the close of sale. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the item.
Buyer is responsible for cost of shipping but seller may be able to assist in arranging shipping
