You Won’t Believe the Engine Inside This Little BMW-Powered Fiat

The Fiat 126 was produced in a single, remarkably long generation from 1972 all the way to 2000, with most later examples built in Poland under license from Fiat. Although the Fiat 500 tends to get the spotlight, the 126 actually rode on the same platform but wore a slightly larger body.

Throughout its run, it used a rear-mounted, horizontally oriented, water-cooled two-cylinder engine — 594 cc, 652 cc, or 704 cc depending on the year — and none of them made even 30 horsepower. In many ways, the 126 was essentially a motorcycle engine bolted into a tiny, lightweight, rear-wheel-drive hatchback.

Naturally, someone eventually decided that this modest setup needed something far more entertaining. Instead of stuffing in a big BMW inline-six or a V8, the builder chose something even wilder: a modified BMW K-75 motorcycle engine capable of spinning up to 10,000 rpm. And yes, it’s every bit as ridiculous as it sounds.

The mastermind behind this creation is Tom, featured on the Twin Engine Corsa YouTube channel. He discovered the car while searching for an MX-5 — it was abandoned in a pub parking lot, painted a shade best described as “baby-sick yellow,” wearing pink wheels, and priced cheaply enough that he couldn’t resist.

Today, the car has been transformed into a wide-arched, lightweight little monster finished in gray. The K-75’s stock straight-three engine makes about 75 horsepower and revs to 8,000 rpm, but Tom has added a Garrett turbocharger and other upgrades to push both power and revs even higher.

Fitting the personality of a certain type of wonderfully unhinged British builder, Tom didn’t stop there. He installed a five-speed sequential gearbox originally designed for an Italian race car — a nod to the long tradition of enthusiasts who drop motorcycle engines into tiny classics like the Hillman Imp. (Amusingly, racers once did the opposite as well, squeezing Imp engines into motorcycles.) It’s niche, chaotic, and glorious.

The Fiat 126 itself has always been a handsome little thing, styled by Sergio Sartorelli, who also penned the Type 34 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Tom ordered a set of fiberglass bolt-on arches modeled after Italian racing 126s but found them too flimsy, so he used them as templates and fabricated new ones from aluminum. The car currently rolls on Superlite wheels, though he plans to replace them with something more authentically Italian.

Since the tuned motorcycle engine likely makes close to 100 horsepower in a car that weighs about 1,200 pounds and drives the rear wheels, Tom wisely upgraded the chassis. The 126 now features independent suspension, coilovers, small four-piston front brakes, and—inside—a full roll cage, Sparco bucket seats, intercom headsets, and a race wheel. He even added a hydraulic handbrake, because why not?

The result is a tiny, furious, wildly entertaining machine that sounds as good as it looks. Despite the stiff suspension and stripped interior, the sequential gearbox shifts surprisingly smoothly, and the whole package feels less punishing than expected. In spirit, the car resembles a scaled-down version of a rally legend that never quite had its moment: the Metro 6R4. But somehow, this creation manages to be even cooler.