If you look around you, by far the most common sources of useful mechanical power are all those engines nestled inside all those car hoods. Car engines are plentiful, well-developed, and surprisingly flexible — why not use them for things other than ass-hauling? What do you think those best non-transport uses are?
That engine up top there is a Porsche industrial motor (essentially a 1-carb 356 engine) powering a ski lift. Car engines have been used for carnival rides, farm equipment, and, in at least one occasion, snack production.
When I was in Inchon, Korea, I saw a Toyota in-line car engine running some sort of snack-producing machine. I wish I could remember just what the hell it was making. My brain keeps showing me images of the machine making churros, but I'm pretty sure that can't be right. Can it? No, no, it can't.
So, what's your favorite non-transportation use of a car engine? Bonus points for anyone who figures out what the hell that Korean machine was making.