There are cars that have the tuning in the blood. Models like the León, the Golf, the Civic or the Supra (among many other cars that any “Need For Speed” player dreamed of in his youth) are timeless and, although such customization is increasingly difficult, there are cars that They continue to lend themselves to being a blank canvas to give free rein to the dreams of some mechanical nut.
Curiously, the Tesla Model 3 is the basis for many restomods, but to see truly extreme modifications you have to look at another model: the Lada VAZ-2101. It is the least commercial name in history, but also the basis for something amazing: a V16 engine made from… chainsaws.
V16 two-stroke and chainsaws
The history of this Lada is curious. It is a four-door passenger car that was manufactured from 1969 to 2012 by the Russian brand AvtoVAZ and, if it reminds you of an Italian car, you won’t have a bad eye. In the mid-1960s, the Soviet Union wanted a Russian-made family car. They looked for someone to partner with in order to accelerate development as much as possible and decided to knock on Fiat’s door.
The Italian manufacturer allowed Soviet researchers to immerse themselves in the model Fiat 124car of the year in 1967, and they started making modifications here and there. The result was a vehicle similar in aesthetics to the Fiat, but very different both inside and in terms of performance. For example, the suspension was completely changed to better adapt to the bumpy Russian roads and, as the hotel network in the Soviet Union was very poor, the front seats could be transformed into beds.
What matters to us on this occasion is that the Lada has been a vehicle that the Russians have transformed at will, becoming the ideal car to give free rein to their ideas. We have seen it in a 14 wheel versionwith a 400 hp engine and even with legs. But what we didn’t imagine was that we were going to see a longer version with a V16 engine built from chainsaws. The video is not wasted:
Those responsible for this madness are the guys from Garage 54a Russian channel that is dedicated to making all kinds of modifications and that had the happy idea of getting 16 two-stroke chainsaws in a garden store, mounting them in a V and creating an engine for the Lada. The features are nothing extravagant, but they are very interesting considering that it is built based on tools.
Each of the chainsaws Huter BS-62 It has a displacement of 58 cc with a power of 4.5 horsepower. All together they have 16 cylinders, 928 cc and a power of 72 HP. It’s not far from the power of the original Lada’s 1.7-liter, 80 hp four-cylinder engine, but the performance It is very poor: it takes more than 25 seconds to reach 60 kilometers per hour, the noise is deafening and the amount of bluish smoke is considerable.
The installation was not easy either. Putting the engines together was not the biggest problem, as they are connected in a custom frame with a rod that rotates through a toothed gear and welded to each crankshaft. The cables allow the accelerator to be connected to the engines and perhaps the most complicated part was lengthening the nose of the Lada to house this 51-inch V16. To do this, they cut the nose, lengthened it and welded it again, but without making a hood to show off the engine.
The result is a unique car, but perhaps somewhat disappointing as it did not have a leaf blower system for cooling or to make a blown diffuser. And, of course, we don’t know if for Russia, but that acceleration is dangerously slow on any road. And we doubt it can pass the ITV.
Images | Garage 54
In Xataka | Modifying a connected car will be a challenge. And highly not recommended
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