2 weeks Ago By Matthew Guy
Article content Leave it to the Russians to build an engine comprised of 16 cylinders and plunk it into a commie-era Lada sedan. And, whoa, before you get the impression we’re talking about a V16 out of a Bugatti or something even more exotic, we’ll set the record straight: this mill is hand-built from some 16 chainsaw engines. Oh, and the entire displacement is less than one litre.
Yes, that’s for all 16 cylinders. Each “cylinder,” all two-strokes displacing 56cc, were formerly used for felling trees in a Hüter BS-62 chainsaw. Assembled by the maniacs at Garage 54, a popular YouTube channel, the engine was then plopped into a Lada, but only after the engine bay was significantly modified.
Why? Because apparently 16 chainsaw engines arranged in a vee formation consumes 51.8 inches of space, a far greater measure than a stock Lada’s engine compartment, which comes in at 18.5 inches in length.
Dangers of driving this Russian car include a zero-to-60-km/h (-37-mph) acceleration run of 26 seconds , a total output of just 74 horsepower, and the outrageously long engine bay, with makes it just a little difficult to judge parking distance. Sixteen uncorked chainsaw engines firing in all their two-stroke glory sounds precisely as manic as one would expect; in a slight disappointment, however, the creators didn’t feel the need to manually pull-start each one in order to get the creation underway, nor does the whole contraption run on vodka. We joke, of course — this project is exactly the type of YouTube shenanigans sought by gearheads, and Garage 54 is only too happy to provide.
Remember, this is a group of skilled mechanics whose greatest hits include using springs on steel wheels instead of rubber tires ; building an eight-wheeled Fiat ; and crafting a wooden replica of a Mercedes G-Wagen . Posing the question “Wooden pistons: will they work?” is also a topic one is unlikely to find in a Red Seal course at the community college level; meanwhile, Garage 54 has 2.3 million views on the topic.
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