850bhp aero-engined Bentley for sale

If you ever bump into Bob Petersen in a pub, buy the man a pint. Or three. Because he is responsible for what is simply one of the most magnificent cars to have ever graced the Top Gear track: the Bentley ‘Meteor'.

You'll probably remember this Bentley, not least because its shouty engine is still reverberating in your eardrums. Yes, it's that 1920s lookalike, fashioned from the ground up and sporting an engine straight out of a Spitfire. A Spitfire!

It will come as a spot of Very Good News then, to discover this very car is being offered up for sale, with a price tag "in excess of £500,000". Ouch.

But, what you're getting for your money isn't just a throwback to the days of the ‘Bentley Boys' and all that. You're getting 27-litres of Rolls-Royce Meteor engine, itself derived from the Merlin-engine that powered the Spitfire and Lancaster Bombers during WWII, producing some 850bhp. That's a lot of airborne muscle.

As you'll remember from the show, this behemoth is strapped onto a 19-foot long chassis taken from a 1930s Rolls-Royce Phantom, replete with a 400-litre tank and 160mph top speed. Attempt to fill the former, and you'll be penniless; attempt to hit the latter, and you'll need testes the size of the Spitfire's side cannons.

Bob spent three years building the Bentley, fitting it with power steering and disc brakes. In fact, such is the Bentley's prowess, it managed to lap our test track in 1m 50s, easily trumping the BMW Brutus it was up against.

It's being offered up for sale by classic car experts Coys. Forget that it only returns around 2mpg. Forget that it might be difficult for say, the supermarket shopping run. You need this car in your life. Any takers?

Photos: swns.com