The YouTuber you’re referring to is Tom Stanton, an aerospace engineer who built a bicycle powered by a 200‑year‑old Stirling engine. In a stunning blend of history and innovation, a popular YouTuber has created a functioning motorcycle powered by a 200-year-old Stirling engine, an external combustion engine that predates modern gas and electric technologies. Even more astonishing? The bike runs without gasoline or a conventional battery.
The creator, known online as spent months retrofitting the classic engine — originally invented in 1816 by Robert Stirling — into a custom-built frame. The engine runs on external heat sources like fire, solar energy, or even a portable burner, making it an environmentally friendly, fuel-free transportation method.
In a video that has gone viral with millions of views, the YouTuber demonstrates the bike cruising at modest speeds, powered solely by thermal expansion and compression cycles — a true mechanical marvel.
“This isn’t just a cool project — it’s proof that old tech still has potential,” the creator says in the video. “We don’t always need gas or lithium to move forward.”
The invention has sparked widespread interest from engineering enthusiasts, environmentalists, and vintage tech lovers. Experts say the project challenges modern assumptions about energy use and sustainability in transportation.
While not practical for mass production yet, the bike stands as a symbol of ingenuity and a reminder that sometimes, the future can be built on the past.
