The Wonder of Engines

I’ve always loved internal combustion engines. I cannot explain exactly why, though the thought of thousands of little machines working together to make one incredible powerhouse baffles me. Think about it, your car works because hundreds of explosions are occurring each second under the hood.


My first experience with an automobile engine was with the Volkswagen air-cooled 1200cc, found in the VW beetle that my Dad bought for me in high school. You would be hard pressed to find an engine more versatile, rugged, abundant, and charming. It’s a rear-engine, flat-four design; meaning a 4 cylinder motor that is horizontally opposed in the rear of the vehicle. The engine in my beetle was rated at only 40hp and had so many unique and innovative parts like; aluminum heads, aluminum/magnesium block, low compression ratios, slip-in cast cylinders, and heat-exchangers in the exhaust for cab heat. Anyway, I just wanted to talk about it since it started my love affair with engines.