Allow us to introduce the Garage 54 crew. These folks are next-level ridiculous, responsible for making pistons out of plastic, using gas struts from office chairs for suspension components, and putting mechanical legs on a Lada. It's been a minute since we checked in on their wacky antics, and what did we find? Chainsaws. Lots of them.
These are Hüter BS-62 chainsaws, each with a 58cc two-stroke engine making 4.5 horsepower. Multiply that by 16 and you get a 928cc monstrosity that, in theory, should make a combined 72 horsepower. However, after watching the build, we have some concerns about parasitic power loss.
To make this V-16, the team simply fabricated a steel frame so the individual engines could be mounted in a V, eight per bank. A cable connects all the throttles so they operate at roughly the same speed, and geared pulleys are welded to each tiny crankshaft. They turn a power shaft using no less than 16 belts, thus combining all the power into a single point. A hacked-up Lada engine donates a flywheel to the cause, allowing a manual transmission to be bolted up.
We give the Garage 54 crew credit. It's all bridged together with a single starter and it actually runs. Sure, there are some minor fuel leaks. And some of the engines appear to literally shake themselves loose. The video mentions several trial-and-error sessions trying to get everything dialed in, and honestly, it still doesn't look entirely buttoned up at the end.
Sadly, we don't see it installed in a car just yet—that's promised for a future video. But with the vibrations, the weight of the custom power shaft, the flywheel, the transmission, and all those rubber belts sucking up power, we'd be surprised if even the most threadbare Lada can move without killing the engine. But if anyone can pull it off, Garage 54 can.
