John Dodds original "beast" did indeed perish in a fire. The second "beast" used a two-speed Allinson transmission and was in use in Spain for some time when John moved there after all the silly court stuff.
I remember reading a feature on that car in a 1970's "Street Machine" magazine as a yoof! I was totally awestruck by the sheer size and mind-numbing figures at the time. I seem to remember it idled at some ridiculously low rpm, and changed into second gear at around 80mph.....!
I read somewhere recently that the car was allegedly being used in Spain by his son, but I've heard no other reports.