Brutus (car)

Brutus is an aero-engined car. It is powered by a water-cooled BMW V12 aircraft engine, which produces between @ 1530 rpm, but can produce a maximum of @ 1700 rpm for shorts bursts of one minute, and is mated to a 1907/1908 American LaFrance chassis.

Background

Brutus made an appearance on the British television program Top Gear on 4 March 2012, during the sixth episode of Season 18. The Brutus was built in Germany in 2006, when a 1908 American LaFrance fire engine's chassis was fitted with a V12 BMW aircraft engine that dates to 1925. The car was created over several years at a workshop at the Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany, which still owns it. According to the Museum, the Brutus can produce at 1,500 rpm, while its fuel efficiency averages. Driving the car on Top Gear, presenter Jeremy Clarkson described the experience as akin to "doing a crossword while being eaten by a tiger".