Brutus (car)

Brutus
Overview
Also called	Brutus BMW
Production	2006
Assembly	Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum
Body and chassis
Class	Custom car
Body style	Open Wheeler
Layout	FR layout
Platform	1907/1908 American LaFrance
Related	Heinkel He 111 Napier-Bentley Napier-Railton Packard-Bentley The Beast Meteor
Powertrain
Engine	46,899.9 cc (2,862.01 cu in) BMW VI V12
Power output	490–550 brake horsepower (500–560 PS; 370–410 kW) @ 1,530 rpm (Standard) 750 brake horsepower (760 PS; 560 kW) @ 1,700 rpm (Temporarily) 3,730 newton-metres (2,750 lb⋅ft) @ 1,000 rpm (Standard) 4,672 newton-metres (3,446 lb⋅ft) @ 800 rpm (Temporarily)
Transmission	3-speed chain drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase	4,500 millimetres (178 in)
Length	5,370 millimetres (211.6 in)
Width	1,611 millimetres (63.4 in)
Height	1,420 millimetres (56 in)
Kerb weight	2,537 kg (5,593 lb)[1]

The rear of the car

Brutus is an aero-engined car. It is powered by a water-cooled 47 L (2,900 cu in) BMW V12 aircraft engine, which produces between 490–550 hp (370–410 kW) @ 1530 rpm, but can produce a maximum of 750 hp (560 kW) @ 1700 rpm for shorts bursts of one minute, and is mated to a 1907/1908 American LaFrance chassis.[2][3][4][5]

Background

Brutus made an appearance on the British television program Top Gear on 4 March 2012, during the sixth episode of Season 18.[6][7][8] The Brutus was built in Germany shortly after World War II, when a 1908 American LaFrance car was fitted with a 46.9-liter (2,862 cu in) 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 500 hp (370 kW) at 1,500 rpm, while its fuel efficiency averages 1 L/km (2.8 mpg_‑imp).[9] Driving the car on Top Gear, presenter Jeremy Clarkson described the experience as akin to "doing a crossword while being eaten by a tiger".[7]

References

1. "V12 BMW plane engine from WW2; 47000cc engine. 2537kg weight; 748PS; Brutus - from the Technic Museum at Sinsheim, Germany - Car". 9GAG.
2. "More on the BMW Brutus". Top Gear. July 11, 2011.
3. "Fire Breathing BMW 46.0-liter V12-Powered Brutus Will Scare Even the Bravest Kids". Carscoops. March 11, 2011.
4. O'Carroll, Damien (August 22, 2021). "Meet Brutus, the most dangerous car in the world". Stuff.
5. Magazin, Sia (June 18, 2018). "The Brutus' Bomber BMW, With a 46-liter BMW V12 Engine".
6. "Top Gear, Series 18, Episode 6". BBC.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
7. "More from the Brutus and Bentley". TopGear.com. BBC. 6 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
8. "850bhp aero-engined Bentley for sale". TopGear.com. BBC. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
9. Mihalascu, Dan (10 March 2011). "Fire Breathing BMW 46.0-liter V12-Powered Brutus Will Scare Even the Bravest Kids". Carscoops. Retrieved 23 November 2014.

External links

• Project Car Brutus | Technik Museum Sinsheim | Germany (in English)