World records can be wild feats of courage, exhibitions of mental fortitude, or the outcome of years of patient practice. They can also be a person concussing themselves by breaking open 49 watermelons with their head. Or marvels of engineering that carefully coordinate the movement of 48 pistons into a functional machine. Both the melon mashing and the multitudinous-piston motivation are real world records, and one of them can be yours if you play your cards right—no head slamming required.
This 48-cylinder creation—the official record for vehicle engine with the most cylinders—is the manifestation of Briton Simon Whitelock and is an exercise in solving problems to build the absurd. The project started in 1999 and seems to have been constructed in a typical UK workshop, which is to say a small shed packed full of stuff. Whitelock has posted videos of the build on a YouTube channel, and they are fascinating to watch.
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more information: hagerty.com
