Sunday 5th April 1953

The 27 litre Rolls Royce Merlin engine Swandean Spitfire Special, the largest car ever to appear at the Brighton Speed Trial, driven by F W Wilcock, made the slowest run in its class. Two Daimler Dingo scout car chassis were welded end-to-end. A Merlin-powered engine, fitted with a supercharger, was installed and offered a staggering 1600 horsepower at 3000 RPM. The car was used on several Brighton Speed Trials during the mid-1950s. It is reported that the car achieved 150 mph in third gear, though its overall top speed is still unknown, and it had one more gear left to explore. The car was used about eight times before it was sold to James Duffy of St. Louis, Missouri in 1956. It was later sold to SL Lambert who had it rebuilt as the Lambert Engineering Special.