Packard-Bentley Special

[Ecnelis]

Packard-Bentley Special aka Mavis

Christmas road test: Packard-engined Bentley

Tested: 41.8-litre Packard V12, four-speed Bentley C-type gearbox and a Bentley Speed Six rear axle running in reverse

Price/on sale: Assuming you could track down a Packard engine and an Eight Litre Bentley, in the region of £350,000. It's not for sale

Power/torque: 1,500bhp @ 2,400rpm/ 2,000lb ft @ 2,400rpm

Top speed: 160mph approx
Acceleration: N/A
Fuel economy: 4 gallons per minute at full chat

Verdict: A car for real men. Never mind those cup holders or air conditioning. Who needs seatbelts and airbags? A pair of goggles and gauntlets and a pint glass of pure courage is all a man needs to get to grips with the mighty Mavis. Me? I might be washing my hair on that day if that's OK with you…

Telegraph rating: Five out of five

[Ecnelis]

Packard-Bentley Special #2

[Cobrafan427]

I absolutely love and am very very fascinated by these monster machines. I really wanna see one started up and running for myself, youtube just doesnt cut it

[csl177]

"Mavis" is ridiculously impractical, which I suppose is the point. Sort of like the Blastolene or Van Blerk roadsters constructed of old fire engines or like this, Packard marine engines. But those display exceptional fabrication and finish, and are even licensed for the street.

[Cyco]

Insane.

I love it, the world needs more of this sort of thing

[pimento]

Couldn't agree more. It's a shame that something like this would be so hard to road register in many countries - surely a one-off like this built to suitable standards couldn't cause any statistical issues.