From Jalopnik:
How China Built Some Of The World’s Most Versatile Vehicles Around A $150 Engine
Back in 2015, I visited China and found myself enamored by a vehicle so simple that it didn’t even have a hood to cover its single-cylinder diesel engine. That basic motor, which can be cranked by hand, is a part of what I later found to be one of the most incredible modular vehicle architectures I’d ever seen.
More:
At the time, I didn’t know what this thing was, all I knew was that it was the first stock, street-legal vehicle I’d ever seen with a completely exposed engine, and it steered kind of funny. Also, it was everywhere, working on farms, hauling dirt at construction sites, and popping around the city carrying cargo. Everywhere I turned, I saw a tiny diesel engine hanging off the front of various types of vehicles, so I had to learn more.
Completely modular - here are three photos and a video:
Shades of the old-school Lister engines which are still being manufactured in places like India and East Asia.
Cheap to buy, economical to run. Completely modular and extensible. What's not to love...
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