From snow globes to cranberry sauce, the TSA has rules prohibiting all sorts of items from your carry-on luggage, but somehow it seems they left engine blocks off the list.
So this week some Ford employees decided to demonstrate the tinyness of the company’s new 3-cylinder Ecoboost engine by packing one into a standard carry-on suitcase and flying it from Detroit to LAX for the upcoming Los Angeles Car Show.
And it worked. TSA’s only request: That they remove the block from the suitcase and place it in its own plastic tray, just like a laptop.
For the sticklers out there, yes, it was only the engine block. With all its parts attached, the engine would be at least triple this size. But that doesn’t make the stunt any less impressive.
Ford will be announcing a car for the new engine, which puts out an impressive-for-its-size 120 hp, at the auto show. You can see more photos of the stunt here.