With many cars destined for the junkyard at the end of their lives, there are often lots of parts lying around for other purposes. The great minds on the Garage 54 YouTube channel are experts in recycling, taking whatever is around the store to build some truly unique machines that defy logic and, at times, physics. His latest creation is a supertrike-powered Lada rat rod that looks very dystopian.
Powering this long tricycle is an 80-horsepower (56-kilowatt) Lada engine. It sits in front of the single-seat driver’s seat, but the tricycle is capable of carrying two additional passengers with its luxurious second-row brown seats. The tricycle struggles to keep running, a known issue with carburetor Lada engines not uncommon in fuel-injected engines, but no problem once the temperature is running.
Tricycles are a surprising complaint, especially in straight lines. It absorbs road imperfections so easily that it goes off-road with little difficulty. However, its size measuring 3 meters and 20 centimeters from the front wheel to the rear seat makes the tricycle difficult to navigate on uneven terrain. It got stuck on one hill and lost a weakly welded exhaust, but that didn’t stop the tricycle from breaking free and moving on.
The tricycle looks like a poster child for a rat rod. The exposed chassis and mechanics, along with the welder’s helmet that doubles as the headlight, completes the wild aesthetic. It’s always surprising how well many of the Garage 54 builds do, and the tricycle joins a growing list of creations we’d love to see more of in the future, perhaps. Channels are open for suggestions on what to do with builds.
It seems like little is wasted in the Garage 54 store, with a YouTube channel building some really wild cars and creations, like making half petrol half diesel engines. However, it’s far from the oddest build from the team. One car has the suspension replaced with an office chair support, while the other build features roof-mounted air brakes mounted on the Lada. We can’t wait to see what the next channel thinks.
