Let us introduce you to the Garage 54 crew. These individuals are truly out of the ordinary, known for their outrageous projects such as crafting pistons from plastic, utilizing gas struts from office chairs as suspension components, and even adding mechanical legs to a Lada. It's been a while since we last caught up with their wild escapades, and what did we discover this time? Chainsaws. A plethora of them. These are Hüter BS-62 chainsaws, each equipped with a 58cc two-stroke engine that produces 4.5 horsepower. When multiplied by 16, you end up with a colossal 928cc engine that, in theory, should generate a combined 72 horsepower. However, after witnessing the construction process, we have our doubts about the efficiency of this setup.
To create this V-16 engine, the team ingeniously fabricated a steel frame to mount the individual engines in a V configuration, with eight engines per bank. A cable system synchronizes all the throttles to operate at similar speeds, and geared pulleys are welded to each small crankshaft. These pulleys drive a power shaft via no fewer than 16 belts, effectively merging all the power into one central point. A repurposed Lada engine provides a flywheel, enabling the attachment of a manual transmission. We must commend the Garage 54 crew for their ingenuity; everything is tied together with a single starter, and remarkably, it actually functions. Granted, there are minor fuel leaks, and some engines seem to vibrate themselves loose. The video reveals numerous trial-and-error attempts to fine-tune the system, and it still appears somewhat unfinished by the end.
Regrettably, we don't see the engine installed in a car yet—that's reserved for a future video. But considering the vibrations, the weight of the custom power shaft, the flywheel, the transmission, and the power-sapping rubber belts, we'd be astonished if even the most lightweight Lada could move without causing engine failure. Yet, if anyone can achieve this feat, it's Garage 54.
