Fitting a Two-Stroke 18.6L Detroit Diesel V16 In a Hot Rod Isn’t Easy

Car creativity knows no bounds. We’ve been over this: The VW Beetle pickup was certifiably strange, the Mercedes E430 death kart was the product of someone with the right idea, and the Nissan 350Z drift car with a Bentley W12 swap was certainly A Choice. But as far as a numbers-smashing fantastical build, this two-stroke 18.6-liter diesel hot rod is possibly the craziest.

Of course, it looks completely unhinged. According to Engine Swap Depot, the truck is totally custom. The chassis seems inspired by huge pre-war cars and runs heavy-duty gear underneath with semi-truck wheels and tires to handle the huge diesel engine. Not only is the engine 18.6 liters, but it makes anywhere between 600 to 800 horsepower and 1,936 to 2,150 lb-ft of torque, making the truck-based running gear a necessity and not an aesthetic choice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3wSRJAD66A

It was designed and built by two farmers named Martin Quist and Frans van Tatenhove in Europe, of all places. This makes the hot rod even more unusual and also incredibly impractical for Europe’s small roads. It’s a mashup of parts that are mostly custom, and designed with a steampunk and streamlined aesthetic that is one of the strangest art style crossovers I’ve ever seen. Clearly, the overall theme is Americana. I’m sure eagle-eyed viewers can identify what the body is based off of, but it’s far outside of my area of expertise. All I know is that it’s insanely cool and very reminiscent of Jay Leno’s Tank Car.

It’s a showpiece that got shown for the first time at the Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany. While those of us who are stateside can’t witness its greatness in person, this thing is worth a visit for any adventurous European.

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