Flat engines have cylinders running horizontally, making them popular in off-road buggies and racing vehicles due to space savings, weight distribution, and cooling efficiency. The design was popularized by the Volkswagen Beetle and General Motors’ Corvair, and is used in motorcycles for a low center of gravity.
A flat engine is an engine with cylinders that run horizontally and parallel to the road surface. In a typical vehicle, the engine’s cylinders run up and down or at an angle of various degrees in a “V” configuration. The cars, such as the original Volkswagen air-cooled rear-engine car, use a flat-engine design. Porsche uses a flat engine configuration in many of its vehicle offerings. Space savings, better weight distribution properties, and cooling efficiency have made the flat engine design very popular in many ATVs, as well as some of the most popular vehicles sold on the street in everyone.
Based primarily on the tremendous sales and popularity of the flat-engine-equipped Volkswagen Beetle, General Motors designed and built its own version of a flat-engine-equipped vehicle in the 1960s. The Corvair, built by General Motors, was a flat-engine, air-cooled, flat-engine design that was readily accepted by consumers. The vehicle was offered in various equipment packages, which even included a turbocharged model. The vehicle was so well received that aftermarket companies such as Yenko Chevrolet, a US East Coast Chevrolet dealer, even built and marketed Corvair’s specially equipped with powerful engines and upgraded suspension for use in racing competitions. .
While used with great success in street-going vehicles, the flat engine has really found its place in off-road buggies and racing vehicles. By using the rear-engine design, chassis builders could create dune buggies and racing vehicles that did not force engine heat on the vehicle’s occupants. The air-cooled design of the engines allowed the vehicles to operate without the aid of a cooling system and without fear of a coolant leak. Operators could abuse the vehicle for virtually no reason and it would continue to run smoothly.
In a sports car racing package, the rear-engine layout created a well-balanced vehicle that could turn effortlessly. The air-cooled feature of the engine prevented any danger of cooling system failure, and the vehicles were often used to run competitors off the road without fear of damaging a radiator. The only major concern when racing one of these engines fell in the engine oil cooling area. Huge oil coolers were placed in the air stream that flowed over the roof of the vehicles.
Motorcycles from the BMW to the Honda Goldwing use the flat engine design to create a motorcycle with a low center of gravity. The design allows the engine to sit lower in the frame, making the machine easier to ride. The smooth and powerful torque curve of the engine design makes it a very suitable engine for use in touring motorcycles.
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