Flat Engine - Notable Flat Engines

Notable Flat Engines

• In 1896, Karl Benz invented the first internal combustion engine with horizontally opposed pistons.
• In 1923 Max Friz designed the first BMW motorcycles, choosing a 500 cc boxer engine and unit transmission with shaft drive. This engine type is still in production today. The BMW 247 engine, known as an airhead due to its air cooling, was produced until 1995. BMW replaced it with the oilhead engine with partial oil cooling and four valves per cylinder, but still retaining the same flat-twin configuration.
• In 1948 Preston Tucker modified a helicopter flat-six to be rear-mounted in his Tucker Torpedo
• The Volkswagen air-cooled flat-four engine used in the Volkswagen Beetle, SP2 and Karmann Ghia, and later developed further for the Volkswagen Type 2 (Bus) transporters and Volkswagen Type 3 cars. VW was rumoured to have worked on a Diesel version of the aircooled boxer but abandoned this engine due to noise and heat issues. The latest version of the VW boxer was watercooled and thus dubbed the 'Wasserboxer' or waterboxer by enthusiasts. This engine included many developments of the earlier engines. It was offered in capacities of 1.9 and 2.1 litres was used to power T3 buses and transporters.
• The Citroën 2CV and Panhard air-cooled flat-twin engines, both influenced by the flat-twins of BMW
• The air-cooled Chevrolet Corvair OHV flat-six
• In 1960 Lancia's flat-four water-cooled engine debuted for the Lancia Flavia model, first Italian front-wheel drive car, like 1500 cc 90 PS (66 kW) coupé version and during the years become a 2000 cc with 142 bhp (106 kW) when was mounted the first electronic Injection by Bosch in 1970 in a flat four engine, Lancia also rebuild a new big flat-four engine in 1976, 2484 cc, for his upper size model Lancia Gamma. It was produced until 1984 and was Lancia's last flat-four engine.
• The flat-four engines in Alfa Romeo's Alfasud, Sprint, 33 and early versions of the 145. The last of the line was a 1,712 cc flat-four, 16-valves, producing up to 137 PS (101 kW).
• The Toyota Sports 800 was Toyota's first sports car, and contained a two-cylinder Boxer engine, the 2U.
• The water-cooled front-mounted flat-four and flat-six engines used by Subaru in all of its mid-sized cars. Subaru refers to these as boxer engines in publicity commentary, and include a variety of naturally aspirated and turbo driven engines from 1966, when the Subaru 1000 was introduced to current; both closed and semi-closed short blocks have been used. A print ad for the 1973 Subaru GL coupe referred to the engine as "quadrozontal" The EJ series of four-cylinder engines released first in 1990 has been the focus for the development of the Boxer engine in the late 20th century. Ranging from 1.6–2.5 litres, this engine in its 2-litre turbo arrangement has been the power behind World Rally Championship winning cars. Subaru also offers a boxer turbodiesel, called the Subaru EE series, the world's first to be fitted into a passenger car.
• Since its introduction in 1975, the Honda Goldwing has utilized a boxer engine, a four-cylinder until 1987, and six-cylinders since. The water-cooled SOHC 1,832 cc flat-six is fitted to the Honda Goldwing from 2001 on.
• The air-cooled flat-four, flat-six and flat-eight engines were used for many years in early Porsches. The flat-twelve in the 917 model is a 180° V-engine and not a boxer.
• The water-cooled flat-six engines in the Porsche Boxster, Cayman and later 911 models
• General aviation aircraft often use air-cooled flat-four and flat-six engines made by companies such as Lycoming, Continental. Ultralight and microlight aircraft often use engines such as the Rotax 912 or Jabiru 2200.
• Ferrari made use of a flat-twelve design in several models, including the Berlinetta Boxer, the Testarossa and its derivatives, such as the 512TR and the F512 M, although this engine design is technically a V12 that has been flattened down to a 180° configuration, and therefore cannot be regarded as a true boxer engine.
• A 1,998 cc Flat-four engine with 200 PS (147 kW) having GDI was developed by a joint venture by Subaru (FA20) and Toyota (4U-GSE) for the two-door coupe Toyota 86.