Volkswagen Air-Cooled Engines

RetroBen81 2 years 1 month ago Posts: 1294	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air_cooled_engine The term "air-cooled" is usually only popular with stationary gas engines, like those powering lawn mowers, tillers, lawn/garden tractors and generators. But not so much in the automotive world. You heard them in the many variations of the original rear-drive, rear-engine VW Beetle, a model sold from 1946 to 1980 in the U.S. (the very last U.S. models were the Cabriolet convertibles, as the other Beetles were no longer sold by U.S. VW dealers after the end of MY1977). But you also heard the same engine in other VW's including the Karmann Ghia (1955-1974), and the "Bus" (1962-1979). Even the first four years (1980-1983) of the Vanagon (the successor to the "Bus") had the air-cooled "boxer" engines. But... what are your opinions regarding these? On the Vanagons, the air-cooled boxers don't really do justice to the car's power. ~Ben
	"I am such a purist for old information on anything '70s and '80s."
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Shazbot 2 years 1 month ago Posts: 4622 User Admin	You used to see air-cooled engines in most motorcycles too, but nowadays it is only certain models, usually the cheaper ones.

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RetroBen81 2 years 1 month ago Posts: 1294	VW wasn't the only manufacturer of cars sold in the U.S. with air-cooled engines: one of our own auto makers - the Chevrolet division of GM - got in on the act in response to the success of the Beetle. Thus came the infamous Chevy Corvair, sold from 1960-69. Another rear-engine, rear-drive car, the Corvair was powered by an air-cooled flat-six-cylinder engine.
	"I am such a purist for old information on anything '70s and '80s."
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