You’d never guess it judging by the collection of tiny, intricate works of kinetic art on display in his workshop, but José Manuel Hermo Barreiro, a.k.a. “Patelo,” claims to be a “very impatient person.” A retired naval mechanic, Patelo continues to create after his contemporaries have laid down their tools for the last time, trading the industrial-sized marine equipment of his working years for the small-scale precision motors seen in the video below, including what Patelo believes is the smallest V-12 engine in the world. Only when he balances a coin on its side atop the V-12 is its diminutive size put in perspective.
Patelo’s creations made the rounds in the internet’s geekiest corners a couple of years ago—yes, we hang out there sometimes—but we re-discovered them and had to share. They run only on compressed air, but that does nothing to diminish the remarkable feat of constructing a fully operational engine on this scale from scratch. As for Patelo’s claim that it is the smallest V-12 engine in the world, he concedes with a hint of pride that he has no Internet connection and doesn’t know how to “surf the web.” Indeed, a quick search will turn up a few practitioners of the art, including a fully operational V-8 engine or two—and then there’s this gas-burning 6.09-cubic-inch V-8 we covered in great detail last year—but our efforts found failed to find a tinier V-12.
- Model-Year Advances: New Tech for 2015
- Engine Downsizing, For Reals: The 6.09-Cubic-Inch, Fully Functioning V-8
- We Build a NASCAR Engine in a Room with Swirly Carpet
Yearning for a time when repair shops actually crafted parts, Patelo laments that modern mechanics have become simply “parts fitters.” If you doubt his commitment to craftsmanship, check out this in-depth video look at the amount of fabrication involved in creating Patelo’s V-12. And if that’s not mind-boggling enough for you, check out his miniature W-18 build:
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1BNFuog
via Agya