Hot Rods The Beast.

I have a weak spot for Road Race Specials, and for Trad Hot Rods.

So I look for Info on cars that combine the two ( 'ol Yeller, La Caballo Hierro, etc...)


And I stumbled onto this thing.

The Beast.

View attachment 791276

Built in the mid '60s by George and Alan Jardim, in Guyana.

They wanted a Lotus 7 /Clubmans type racecar, and they started with the build with a crashed Hillman Minx as a donor.

After souping up the Hillman engine it still only gave 88Hp, so they swapped in a 292 Y-Block ( still mated to the Hillman Gearbox )

Over a couple of years of development the car got,
a better gearbox, IRS, 4wheel discs, F1 sized Dunlop Racing rubber,and a Roots blower.

And then like it often happens with these kind of cars,
it got sold, modified and eventually disappeared.



Here are some more pics of the Beast...

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Pics didn't post...

Lets try this again.

 

brutal looking critter!

 

...

 

That thing is crazy! I wonder what made them choose a 292?

 

They found one cheap...

Finding any kind of V8 might have been difficult in Guyana.

 

I don't know how you can possibly have a better gearbox than one out of a Hillman Minx.

 

OK..Maybe the Mustang 'box wasn't any better.

But it was stronger...

 

Damn, talk about 10lbs of ****e in a 5lb bag

 

If you were in Guyana you coulda come up with something better?

 

Umm, I ment that in a good way. Ya know, huge motor thats overflowing out of the car. Sorry if I offended anyone

 

It may not have been pretty, but it was plenty impressive.

It outran a then modern Brabham F3 Racer...

 

Horsepower helps...

But it would have meant nothing, if it didnt handle.

And Brabham was one of the best in the business....


To me, this is a very cool car.

To bad its lost...

 

Its allright.

Just dont say anything bad about Hillman Minx gearboxes...

 

Minx was column shift, so probably Husky, actually? I don't think it was really a transmission, technically...moving the stick around in its bucket of rubber or something just altered the whirring sound made by the engine without any other noticeable results...

 

That's hilarious Bruce!

 

Cool man, Whats a Hillman Minx?

LMAO! Sad to say I've had some cars like that

 

Hillman Minx.



I think the Jardim Bros acctually improved the looks....

 

IMHO anything looks better with a V8

 

it looks like fun, if nothing else.

 

Oh yes the golden days of road racing, the homebuilts.
Now you have to have 20 or more ME's sign off on any cars raced in SCCA.
It take the back yard builder right out of the picture and leaves pretty much spec racing cl***es.

 

Looks like a hoot to me.

 

I just did some quick ch***is computations and looked at my globe; if the Beast is in Guyana, I estimate the roll center to be in Taiwan.