(Motorsport-Total.com/Motor1) – We’re kind of into small combustion engines in remote-controlled cars. They’re pretty powerful for their size, extremely complicated, and they sound similar to their larger cousins. You just don’t see too many of them in equally impressive small cars.

YouTuber JohnnyQ90 recently swapped out the V-twin in his old RC 4×4 for a 17.5cc four-cylinder with a three-speed manual transmission. It was a lot more difficult than just installing the new engine, though. He had to reconfigure the car’s tiny cooling system, run a new exhaust, and wire everything up. After all the hard work, though, the end result is pretty impressive.

The motor itself is made by a company called Cison and costs around $1,000 (about €919 at current exchange rates) without the gearbox. The three-speed gearbox (plus reverse) is also made by this company and costs around $450 (about €413). Interestingly, the gear box is made from a 3D-printed aluminum housing. A good example of how this technology is becoming cheaper and cheaper, to the point where it makes sense for applications such as small motors or other similar mechanical assemblies.

Both the transmission and the throttle are servo-controlled and operated by remote control. As with any tiny off-road vehicle, the performance on a small scale is impressive. However, there is no mention of acceleration, top speed, horsepower or torque. The little off-roader does climb a curb and survives the maneuver completely unscathed. Regardless of what this RC car can do, it’s just nice to hear a rumbling four-cylinder soundtrack compared to the usual whir of an electric motor.

More mini engines:

Tiny Wankel engine sounds insane at 30,000 rpm
This miniature four-cylinder is a mechanical masterpiece

Ultimately, this little truck is simply a cool novelty. Similar to hair-raising Supercars Tiny vehicles with real engines don’t have much use. But they’re damn interesting, and for that reason they deserve to exist.