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Boxer engines - Boxer engines notable

Notable boxer engines

Notable boxer 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 500cc boxer engine and unit transmission with shaft drive.

• The Volkswagen air-cooled flat-4 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.

• The air-cooled flat-2 "foot-warmer" motorcycles produced for many years by BMW motorcycles, and as of 2005 now back in their range by popular demand after an attempt to discontinue the design.

• The Citroën 2CV and Panhard air-cooled flat-2 engines, both influenced by the flat-2s of BMW.

• The air-cooled Chevrolet Corvair flat-6.

• The flat-4 engines in Alfa Romeo's Alfasud, Sprint, 33 and early versions of the 145 (last of the line was a 1712 cc flat four, 16 valves, producing up to 137bhp).

• The water-cooled front-mounted flat-4 and flat-6 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; in their turbo engines from 1984 to current, both closed and semi-closed short blocks have been used.

• The water-cooled SOHC 1832cc flat-6 as fitted to the Honda Goldwing.

• The air-cooled flat-4, flat-6, flat-8 and flat-12 engines were used for many years in early Porsches.

• The water-cooled flat-6 engines in the Porsche Boxster, Cayman and later 911 models.

• The engines of light private aircraft are often air-cooled flat-4s and flat-6s of the type famously made by the companies Lycoming, and Continental.