The $200K+ Bell Aurens Longnose Is an 'Offroadster' Built Around a 1,500-HP, 27-Liter V12

Great, then this car is definitely for you. It is called the Bell Aurens Longnose; it’s a German Land Rover; only two are available; it should have had a 27-liter, 1,500-hp tank engine; none of the above make any sense. Read on, please.

It is – obviously – an automobile (the wheels gave it right away). It has a very long hood with an engine underneath. It started as a blue-collared 1967 Land Rover 109” Series II A. A team of German gearheads heavily modified it to the point where they planned to install a Rolls-Royce monster engine.

The massive piston array is more familiar from the military industry - it powered both the famous Spitfire (under the Merlin moniker) and the Cromwell main battle tank (where it was called the Meteor). The very Germanic and authoritarian German motoring authorities said, “Nein!” and the production went bust. The Saxon authorities probably didn’t have much historical appeal for the engine.

Not before two prototypes were assembled and finished to road-legal driving status. Having to scrap the enormous powerplant idea (the initial plan was to put a 1,500-hp V12 on top of the chassis), the German enthusiasts settled for a more mundane V8. Five liters were over-bored out of a 4.6 Land Rover engine, and about 350 PS (345 hp) are available to all four wheels.

The engine is no longer the main star of this unruly contraption, but the bodywork will draw a crowd even in the middle of the Arabian desert. The livery is highly suggestive of that type of habitat for this unlikely “off-roadster,” and its name is a subtle hint at its sand dune-sailing capabilities.

Bell Aurens: Bell is the last name of one of its two builders (Thomas Bell and Holger Kalvelage are the imaginative fellas). As for the Aurens part… remember Lawrence of Arabia? Yes, the Peter O’Toole-starring Academy Award-winning movie from 1962, and also the real-life World War I British officer Thomas Edward Lawrence.

During the war, the tribes of the Arab kingdom of Hejaz (whom Lawrence led in the campaign against the Ottoman Empire) called the man Al Aurens. Al Aurens – Bell Aurens. Nifty tribute, or a simple twist of the tongue? Regardless, the prototype machine looks as daring, bold, unconventional, and unruly as the controversial British adventurer.

The massive side pipes are a most transparent throwback to the 1920s-style speedsters, just like the collapsible windshield. Although this last feature was heavily used by military vehicles – think of the omnipresent Jeep Willys that inspired the primordial Land Rover.

A heavy fragrance of military ruggedness surrounds this ogre – massive tires, high ground clearance, desert yellow livery, bare metal, utter lackluster, and the supplementary jerrycan incorporated in the back.

Its sheer modularity is impressive – the oddity can be a hardtop, open-top, or no-top, according to preference. You don’t roll down the windows in this flat-surfaced off-roader; you dismount them. Check the gallery – the glass panels come off atop the doors, exposing the occupants to the elements.

Two bucket seats, a laced steering wheel, a cricket ball gear lever knob, such as the cricket ball-shaped gear knob, a breadbox-style center console, five-point seatbelts, a massive roll bar, and that’s about it. The gauges are kept to the bare minimum; the only entertainment option is a Becker Mexico radio – unless you count the fire extinguisher.

The bodywork is aluminum to reduce overall weight (3,400 lbs – 1,545 kg), and the storage space is abundant. The hatch-style rear is a two-piece tailgate-window combo – they open independently – and the cargo bay can be protected from the elements with a piece of canvas.

The car was divided into two distinct half sections lengthwise to make room for the projected powerplant – the initial V12, not the current measly 5.0-liter. The engine-reserved real estate - and everything else. The video below shows a brief glimpse at what this unlikely automobile might be like at hands-on ground level.

This meant a drastic interior redecoration – chiefly dealt with by deleting a row of seats entirely and fitting the remaining two just in front of the rear axle. I almost wish all carmakers had this level of clairvoyance regarding cabin segmentation.

The Bell Aurens Land Rover is a “performance-optimized” design, with a high- and low-range transfer case, all-wheel drive, and plenty of power for overlanding adventures. It doesn’t come cheap, though – $215,896 (German financial accuracy is at its best here).



And this money doesn’t guarantee a high-quality ride – the car is primitive in safety and driver’s aids. It would be endless heaps of fun - I will admit to that – but don’t look for air conditioning or sun visors. It’s about as primordially exposed to the elements as the camel-riding touaregs adorn the front grille emblem.

Only two such vehicles were built, although the initial manual-assembly custom-production plan was stretched to ten units a year. The two cars are christened Bell Aurens Longnose No1 The Alphatier (model year 2009) and Bell Aurens Longnose No2 Aqaba (2010). Alphatier is the German name of the pack leader (Alpha male or female). As for Aqaba – that’s the name of the Red Sea port that became Lawrence’s glory after it captured it.

The car offered for sale here is the Aqaba of 2010 – the only production vehicle ever assembled. According to its makers, “in the course of completing the second prototype, production had to be discontinued for lack of liquid funds and in view of the very high development and manufacturing costs.” Still, the surviving Bell Aurens is offered with a German road registration and a current value appraisal.