The World's Smallest Operational W-32 Engine

Visit any automotive garage in the world and ask the mechanics there if they like to assemble engines from scratch.

You will likely not find many candidates who do. The oftentimes long and arduous process is a very laborious job, requiring the management of thousands of individual parts, making sure they fit together in the proper order, and exacting required specifications to ensure the engine will operate.

Take that difficulty, turn it up a few notches, and you have the task undertaken by —José Manuel Hermo Barreiro, known to modeling hobbyists and dedicated gearheads as — Patelo, when he created a fully operational, miniature W-32 engine from the ground up.

According to a 2015 — Car and Driver article, Patelo created 850 pieces by hand and assembled them with 632 separate screws. The project itself took 2,520 hours, or 105 straight days, to complete.

To put this in perspective, a W-16 engine inside of a Bugatti Veyron supercar is considered simplistic when compared to a W-32, much less a miniature one that can fit in one's hands.

Check out the photos of Patelo's mini W-32 below, and at the very bottom, watch a short video detailing the assembly.

Patelo's W-32 engine, laid out part-by-part. Image: blog.caranddriver.com

Mid-assembly of the miniature W-32. Image: blog.caranddriver.com

Patelo's miniature W-32, running so smoothly that coins can be balanced on it. Image: blog.caranddriver.com