Exposed Engine: 1949 Volkswagen
| Written by | Matt Anderson |
|---|---|
| Published | 1/19/2017 |
By American standards, almost everything about the Volkswagen was unconventional--including the rear-mounted engine. Take a look under the hood of our 1949 Volkswagen Beetle.
Exposed Engine: 1949 Volkswagen
| Written by | Matt Anderson |
|---|---|
| Published | 1/19/2017 |
1949 Volkswagen
Horizontally opposed 4-cylinder engine, overhead valves, 69 cubic inches displacement, 30 horsepower
By American standards, almost everything about the Volkswagen was unconventional. That included the rear-mounted engine. Instead of a V-8 or an Inline-6, VW used a flat-4 “boxer” engine with horizontally opposed pistons and rods that looked a bit like prizefighters going at each other. The air-cooled motor was simple, efficient and highly adaptable, eventually powering everything from dune buggies to light airplanes.
Matt Anderson is Curator of Transportation at The Henry Ford.
Keywords | |
|---|---|
Themes |