This Stop-Motion Tear-Down Of A Mazda MX-5 Engine Is Utterly Mesmerising

Engine build-up/tear down timelapses on YouTube aren’t exactly anything new, but we’re not sure we’ve ever seen one executed quite as well as this.

It’s been done using stop motion animation, and took four days of shooting and eight days of editing to make. Alex from How A Car Works has since been in touch to tell us exactly how the ‘floating’ sparks plugs were made possible. “The spark plugs were done by tying four pieces of cotton around them and using the bonnet stay as a fishing rod and lifting them out at an angle. We then photoshopped it out,” he said. Simple, but effective.

The video goes one step further than just showing all the engine’s various parts flying off, too: we’re also shown things like the crank turning and the pistons moving, giving an intimate look inside this Mk2.5 1.6-litre Miata engine.

Extra points must be awarded for the Pixar-style animated lamp, too…