Brutus is an aero-engined car. It is powered by a water-cooled BMW V12 aircraft engine, which produces between @ 1530 rpm, but can produce a maximum of @ 1700 rpm for shorts bursts of one minute, and is mated to a 1907/1908 American LaFrance chassis.
Brutus made an appearance on the British television program Top Gear on 4 March 2012, during the sixth episode of Season 18. The Brutus was built in Germany in 2006, when a 1908 American LaFrance fire engine's chassis was fitted with a 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 at 1,500 rpm, while its fuel efficiency averages . Driving the car on Top Gear, presenter Jeremy Clarkson described the experience as akin to "doing a crossword while being eaten by a tiger".