With many cars destined for scrap at the end of their life, there is often a plethora of parts lying around for other purposes. The great minds of YouTube channel Garage 54 are recycling experts, taking whatever is in store to build truly unique machines that defy logic and, at times, physics. His latest creation is a Lada-powered supertrike rat rod that looks perfectly dystopian.
The long tricycle is powered by an 80 horsepower (56 kilowatts) Lada engine. It sits in front of the single-chair driver’s seat, but the trike is capable of carrying two additional passengers with the second row of plush brown seats. The trike struggles to keep running, a known problem with carbureted Lada engines that isn’t prevalent in fuel injected engines, but has no issues once it’s up to temperature functioning.
The trike is surprisingly complained, especially in a straight line. It soaks up road imperfections so easily that it rolls off the road with no problem. However, its size, measuring 3 meters and 20 centimeters from the front wheel to the rear seat, makes the tricycle difficult to navigate over rough terrain. It gets stuck on a hill and loses a weakly welded muffler, but that doesn’t stop the trike from breaking free and continuing.
The tricycle looks like the poster child for Rat Rods. The exposed chassis and mechanics, as well as the welder’s helmet serving as a headlight, complete its rugged aesthetic. It’s always surprising how well many versions of Garage 54 perform, and the trike joins this growing list of creations we’d like to see again in the future, which is possible. The channel is open to suggestions on what to do with the build.
It seems like little is wasted in Garage 54’s shop, with the YouTube channel building some seriously crazy cars and creations, like making a half-petrol, half-diesel engine. However, it’s far from the strangest build of the team. One car had its suspension replaced with office chair struts, while another version had an air brake installed the size of a roof on a Lada. We can’t wait to see what the channel thinks next.
