Free Republic

When a new supercar arrives, the motor gets the glory. Which is as it should be—anytime an automaker throws big money into designing an exotic spaceframe and 200-mile-per-hour bodywork, it needs muscle to match. The wrong engine, meanwhile, can sink a supercar's reception and reputation (look at the Jaguar XJ220 for a lesson in how a whole car suffers if it's got a weak heart). Aston Martin can't be accused of skimping on the heart of its new halo car, the $3.2 million, out-of-this-world Valkyrie. The new supercar's motor spins out 1,000 horsepower on its way to an 11,100 RPM...

Anyone who appreciates the precision art of engine design ought to get a kick out of this offering from a Spanish engineer named Patelo. Starting with hunks of aluminum, bronze and stainless steel, he spent over 1200 hours designing, milling, turning and drilling what he claims is "probably" the world's smallest V12 engine. Powered by compressed air injection (0.1kg/sq cm), this little marvel boasts a total displacement of 12 cubic centimeters from its twelve 11.3 mm diameter pistons and works like a charm. Built primarily for educational purposes, Patelo has no plans for selling the mini-motors. In fact, seemingly...

This is a video of the world's tiniest V-12 engine being made by hand-built craftsmanship. Now the video does not say this, but I'm guessing the motor works off compression ignition like a diesel. Which would be similar to the way an R/C car that runs on gas. This would explain why their is no lubricant added to the engine. The lubricant is in the fuel. It has 12 cm^3 of displacement, the cylinder bore is 11.3 mm and stroke of the pistons is 10 mm. Works with just 0.1 Kg/cm^2. It is constructed of stainless steel, aluminum and...