7 Tiny Engines That Prove Bigger Isn't Always Better

Not so long ago, we put together a list of some of the largest engines ever built. With the biggest displacing a ridiculous 25,480 litres, there was some impressive machinery to ogle, however the other end of the scale is just as intriguing, as these dinky engines prove:

1. DKW 49cc

While this little single-cylinder engine from DKW is actually quite large compared to some of the other units in this list, it’s notable for being used in a car: the Peel P50. Thought to be the smallest engine ever used in a production car, this four-stroke petrol engine produces just 4bhp - good job the Peel weighs only 56kg…

2. 0.3bhp ethanol engine - Smalltoe motorcycle

While there isn’t a displacement figure kicking around for this engine, there is a power figure: 0.3bhp. It lives in ‘Smalltoe’, the Guiness World Record holder for the world’s smallest motorcycle, which has a wheelbase of just 80mm. That mighty little ethanol-powered engine allows Smalltoe to be ridden at manic speeds of up to 1.2mph. Oh yes, it can indeed be ridden, as you can see in the video below.

Retired Spanish navy mechanic José Manuel Hermo Barreiro (‘Patelo’) spends his time building tiny, exquisitely made working engines. A pretty good way to spend your post-work years, no?

This V12, thought to be the smallest in the world, took a staggering 1220 hours to build.

If Patelo’s V12 blows your mind, just wait until you get a load of his more recent project, this W32. This one is the result of 2520 hours of work and is made up of 850 different pieces. Like the V12, it’s perfectly balanced, as demonstrated in this video with a series of coins placed on the top of the engine.

A chap called Ronald Valentine has been making tiny engines for 30 years, primarily for use in model planes. The tiniest - the Nanobee - only exists in prototype form, and displaces just 0.006cc. It’s actually an oil burner, and is dubbed as the ‘smallest diesel engine in the world’.

Check out the video below to see one of his larger engines in action.

(Hat tip to Mikal!)

6. World's smallest steam engine

What you see here is a stationary steam engine, but on a drastically reduced scale. Built by Indian engineer Dr. Iqbal Ahmed, it measures just 6.8mm high, 16.24mm in length and weighs 1.72g.

7. Microscopic combustion engine (University of Twente)

None of the engines above satisfied your need for tininess? This should do the trick. In fact, this research project from the University of Twente is so small, you need a microscope to see it - it measures just 0.0001mm across.

The micro engine consists of a water-filled chamber which has two electrodes passing through. A current is passed through the electrodes, causing the oxygen and hydrogen in the water to disassociate from each other. This creates ‘nanobubbles’ of gas, and as the volume of gas increases, force is generated. Yeah, science!