Think it's nerve-wracking to assemble a freshly-rebuilt engine? This guy probably thinks that's cake.
Sure, keeping track of thousands of parts and making sure everything goes together in the right order and to exacting specifications is an exercise in patience and carefulness. But multiply that by ten, and you'd still fall short of the challenge this hobbyist faced when he set out to build a fully functional miniature W32 engine from scratch.
This astoundingly detailed project is the latest micro-build from the workshop of José Manuel Hermo Barreiro, known to modelers and gearheads simply as Patelo. The retired Spanish naval mechanic has been wowing the internet with his intricate mini-motors for years, and this W32 is probably his most ambitious yet.
The full project took 2,520 hours. Patelo machined 850 pieces by hand, assembling them with 632 individual screws. That's a tall order on its own, but look how tiny those valve springs are.
A static conversation piece would be impressive enough for most of us, but not for Patelo. Like his previous projects, a compressed air source lets this engine rev just like the real thing. Watch it in action here:
And for a profile of the man himself—who describes himself as "very impatient"—watch this beautifully-filmed mini-documentary from 2012, when Patelo had just completed building the world's tiniest V12 engine.
Bob Sorokanich previously served as deputy editor of Road & Track Magazine. He is based in New York City.
