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Peter Grieve has fitted an 18-liter Rolls-Royce Meteorite V8 to a 1956 Series I Land Rover and equipped it with twin turbochargers and electronic fuel injection. The engine is rated at about 1,080 horsepower, but during footage reported by The Drive, the vehicle was running at roughly half power and a dyno session ended with a cooling problem.
Peter Grieve’s 1956 Series I Land Rover is powered by an 18-liter Rolls-Royce Meteorite V8 adapted from an engine used in the Mighty Antar tank transporter, according to The Drive’s report on a Practical Performance Car video. The twin-turbocharged build is rated at about 1,080 horsepower, but its latest filmed dyno session ended before a full-power run after the cooling system developed a problem.
The engine is a Rolls-Royce Meteorite V8, a powerplant derived from the company’s 27-liter Meteor V12 tank engine. The Meteorite has four fewer cylinders than the Meteor and, as Practical Performance Car presenter Will explains in the video, shares many of its parts. The V8 was originally intended for the Mighty Antar tank transporter, which entered service in the early 1950s and remained in use into the 1980s.
Fitting the large engine into a Land Rover required changes. Grieve engineered a new camshaft-drive system because the standard assembly at the rear of the engine was too bulky for the vehicle. He also added electronic fuel injection and twin turbochargers concealed in the front wings. The source reports a target output of around 1,080 horsepower at 15 pounds of boost, while noting the engine was running at roughly half that level in the footage.
During the dyno test, Grieve adjusted fuel pressure and changed exhaust plugs after the engine began running roughly. On a subsequent attempt, the cooling system struggled; the report describes coolant heat being directed into the garage rather than adequately cooling the engine. The video ends without a full-power result, leaving the project’s final performance unconfirmed.
A Tank Engine in a Series I
The project joins two very different strands of British motoring and engineering history: the early Land Rover, designed as a practical utility vehicle, and a large military-derived Rolls-Royce engine. The contrast is measurable: new Series I models typically used 1.6- or 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines producing around 50 horsepower, according to The Drive. Grieve’s build is an extensive custom conversion, not a typical restoration or factory Land Rover configuration.
For readers, the dyno footage also shows the practical challenge behind headline power figures. A reported output rating does not establish what the vehicle has achieved on a test or can sustain on the road. The cooling issue and incomplete test are central to the current update: the engine’s design and modifications are described, but a successful full-power run has not been shown in the supplied report.
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From Antar Transporter to Land Rover
The Meteorite’s military roots help explain both its size and its relationship to the Meteor. The Meteor V12 was itself based on Rolls-Royce’s Merlin aircraft engine; the Meteorite was developed as a related V8, with shared components that aided maintenance across the engine family. The Antar transporter provided the original working role for the 18-liter V8.
By contrast, the Series I Land Rover was introduced in the postwar period as a comparatively modest utility vehicle. The Drive describes typical early examples as having about 50 horsepower from a four-cylinder engine. Grieve’s 1956 vehicle keeps that classic platform while replacing its original-scale powertrain with a heavily modified engine many times larger in displacement.
““around 1,080 horsepower””
— The Drive, reporting on Practical Performance Car
Full-Power Results Still Pending
The supplied report does not establish whether Grieve has resolved the cooling-system problem or the rough running observed during the test. It also does not provide a completed dyno result at the reported 1,080-horsepower rating. The footage shows operation at roughly half power, according to The Drive, but does not specify a measured output figure for that session.
The report says the vehicle is drivable on the road, but does not provide details about road testing, reliability, registration or how the Land Rover performs under sustained use. It is also unclear when another dyno attempt will take place or whether the builder intends to run the vehicle at a drag strip.
Cooling Fix Before Another Run
The immediate next step is for Grieve to address the cooling and running issues before attempting another dyno session. The supplied source does not name a date for a follow-up test or confirm that repairs have been completed.
A later test could show how much power the engine produces and whether the modified cooling arrangement can manage the heat under load. Until then, 1,080 horsepower remains the reported rating, not a result demonstrated in the footage covered by The Drive.
Key Questions
What engine is in Peter Grieve’s Land Rover?
It has an 18-liter Rolls-Royce Meteorite V8, originally intended for the Mighty Antar tank transporter.
How much power is the Land Rover reported to make?
The twin-turbocharged engine is reported to be rated at about 1,080 horsepower. The dyno footage described by The Drive does not show a full-power result.
What modifications were needed to fit the engine?
Grieve engineered a new camshaft-drive system and added electronic fuel injection and twin turbochargers concealed in the front wings.
Why did the dyno test stop?
The engine ran roughly during the session, prompting adjustments, and a later attempt exposed a cooling-system problem. The source does not report a completed full-power run.
Source: thedrive.com
