--- title: "Russian Mechanics Make a V16 Out of 16 Chainsaw Engines, Stuff It Into a Lada" description: "Garage 54 has done amazing things with old Ladas, and their latest creation involving 16 two-stroke, single-cylinder chainsaw engines is another masterpiece." date: "2024-11-01" modified: "2024-11-01" authors: - name: "Ronan Glon" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/ronan-glon" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/russian-mechanics-make-a-v16-out-of-16-chainsaw-engines-stuff-it-into-a-lada" categories: - "Builds" - "Culture" - "News" tags: - "Lada" --- # Russian Mechanics Make a V16 Out of 16 Chainsaw Engines, Stuff It Into a Lada ![Overhead image of Lada 16-cylinder car]() *\Garage 54 via YouTube\* Lada's venerable, Fiat 124-derived sedans lend themselves surprisingly well to outlandish modifications. We've [seen one with 14 wheels](), we've seen one [walk on metal legs](), and we've seen one [dropped on tank tracks](), but as far as we know this V16-powered creation is the first of its kind. Don't mistake it for an exotic supercar's power plant, though: The home-built mill was assembled using 16 individual two-stroke, single-cylinder *chainsaw* engines. Unsurprisingly, the same Russian mechanics that brought you the 14-wheeler and the walking Lada came up with the idea of building a V16 using components you can find at a garden center. The project started with 16 chainsaws made by a relatively obscure company called Hüter. The team at [Garage 54]() then removed the engine from each chainsaw, stripped the parts they didn't need, and began looking for a way to arrange them into a single unit. The solution was to position them in a V; if it's [good enough for Bugatti](), it's probably good enough for a Lada. ![]() ![]() The setup is surprisingly clever. The engines are mounted on a custom-made frame and they collectively spin a metal rod via a toothed gear welded to each crankshaft. There's a series of cables hooked up to link the 16 cylinders to the gas pedal, while the flywheel, the starter motor, and the manual transmission are standard Lada parts. After a series of small setbacks, the engine started with a glorious puff of blue smoke. Dropping a 51-inch-long engine into a Lada isn't as hard as it sounds if you're handy with a welder: Garage 54 cut off the front end, extended it, and welded it back together. The team decided not to fabricate a hood to show off the engine and took its long-wheelbase car on its maiden trip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNN2D9D4DQ0 Each chainsaw engine has a displacement of 58 cubic centimeters and an output of 4.5 horsepower. Yep, the decimal is super important here. Multiplying both figures by 16 gets us a 928-cc 16-cylinder rated at 72 hp. For context, the biggest engine that was available in these old Lada sedans was a 1.7-liter four-cylinder, and the output didn't exceed 80 hp during the model's decades-long production run. Against a great many odds, Garage 54's monster of a Lada starts, idles, and moves under its own power, though getting it going is apparently a little tricky and it's certainly not quick due to the engine's relative lack of torque. It takes a little over 26 seconds to reach 37 mph from a stop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e7kcMhILe0 Fear not: There's a build out there for you if you're dreaming of an old Lada with supercar-embarrassing performance. In 2019, someone [stuffed]() a 400-plus-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-four sourced from a Lancia Delta Integrale into one, threw in BMW E36-sourced chassis components for good measure, welded in the rear doors, and called it a job well done. Four years later, a 2JZ-swapped 2105 [was auctioned for $40,000](). *Got tips? Send ’em to [tips@thedrive.com]()* ## Author Ronan is a contributing writer for The Drive. He draws on over 15 years of experience to cover breaking industry news, cool one-off builds, and anything in between. He began writing for The Drive in 2021 and stepped into his current role in 2024. His obsession with cars started when a relative gave him a Majorette die-cast shortly after his first birthday. It hasn't flickered since. Ronan lives in France; He swapped Utah's Rocky Mountains, where he grew up, for the Alps. He's an avid hiker, mountain biker, and musician. He also restores classic European cars and mopeds, including a 1978 Citroen 2CV that he's rebuilding from the ground up. ### Author social links [Twitter]()