When Garage 54 slapped two Lada four-cylinders together to create a 2.7L straight-eight, everybody had suspicions…including the hosts themselves. Turning two engines into one isn’t a simple deal. Nevermind getting the fuel, spark, and coolant sorted, there’s the question of the engine being in proper time so that it doesn’t shake itself apart while so much as idling, there’s the question of component strength holding up from twice the power, and since this is a Lada Riva-based machine, theres the question of reliability and speed. With the crankshaft of the front engine mated to the snout of the second via a modified accessory pulley, things could go wrong in very short order. Then there’s the whole prospect of 7/8ths of an engine hanging off of the front of the car, and yes, you are seeing a household radiator being used for cooling duty. In Russia. In winter.

Here’s the fun part though: not only does the Lada run and drive, the combination is actually…dare we say it…good? Testing on a snowy straightaway with a set of rear tires filled with screws, it weirdly acts like a Honda with VTEC…halfway up the rev range the Lada wakes up and seems to pull hard. Maybe it’s our expectation versus reality, but the Lada seems kind of sprightly, almost entertaining. Vlad and Cyril seem pretty impressed with their contraption. We are wanting to see what it does on dry pavement now…