Topic: Puzzle #1331 - Rolls-Royce Phantom II Handlye Special

[Otto Puzzell]

Know what it is?

Please, respond below and let us know the name of this car. 

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[Otto Puzzell]

And the name of this special is............?

[Otto Puzzell]

Experts?

[neilshouse]

It's called the Handlye Special.

[Otto Puzzell]

That's right - it's the Rolls-Royce Phantom II Handlye Special. 

[Carnut]

Apparently with a 26 litre Rolls-Royce Merlin aero engine...

[Allan L]

A pedant he say probably 27 litres and probably a Meteor tank engine, not a Merlin.
i.e. not supercharged, no prop reduction gear and cack-handed rotation cf. Merlin

[Carnut]

A pedant he say probably 27 litres and probably a Meteor tank engine, not a Merlin.
i.e. not supercharged, no prop reduction gear and cack-handed rotation cf. Merlin

From the Brooklands Museum website:

Quote
The highlight of the climbs must have been that of Robin Beech’s Handlye Special, with 27 litres of Rolls-Royce Merlin crammed into a RR Phantom 2 chassis, which wreathed the Hill in tyre smoke.
Unquote

On the Jalopy Journal website there are a few pictures of it under an article about aero-engined vintage racers; it says :

Quote
Saw this beast at the Goodwood Revival 2012. it has a Rolls Royce Merlin V12
Unquote

The ‘Wheels and Wings’ website says:

Quote
Shown, is a Photograph of the Rolls Royce Handyle Special racing car. It combines two separate pieces of Rolls Royce engineering. A Rolls Royce Phantom II chassis and a 27 Litre Rolls Royce Merlin aircraft engine that powered Spitfires and Hurricane fighter planes in WWII
Unquote

And the site where I took the photo from was the Bluebell Railway Vintage Transport Weekend, where it said:

Quote
The Rolls Royce Handlye Special (right and below) is a one-off car built by Robin Beech. Based on a Rolls Royce Phantom II chassis, it is powered by a massive Rolls Royce Merlin Aero engine, something in the order of 26 litres!! We look forward to hearing this leviathan in action over the weekend. Weather permitting, Robin hopes to be with us on both days of the event.
Unquote


None of this makes it right of course, but certainly its owner seems to be putting it about that it has a real Merlin engine!  To most onlookers it they are probably the same thing anyway, but a Merlin Spitfire engine sounds so much more romantic than a Meteor tank engine…!

[Wendax]

There is an eight-page article about the Handlye Special in the current Oldtimer Markt (11/2016). The engine was in fact built from two defunct Meteor engines.