Engine Problem

The engine was a difficulty to the party. First, drivers were tempted to two three-cylinder, to reduce costs, but they were not reliable and not producing the power required for the car. To save space by removing the radiator, has been chosen an engine cooled the air. As the engine was back, there were technical problems for taking air for refrigeration.

An engineer of the team of Porsche suggested using a five-cylinder radial engine, comes from the Typ 12 (which had the advantage of already being ready). Initially the idea seemed absurd, because this was an "engine plane." However, for some time, attempts were made to this solution.

Finally, after tests with an engine vertical, some horizontal and some even two times, and with the increasingly tight deadlines, It developed a functional design of a rear engine, four-cylinder (two to two opposite boxer) chilled the air.

Ironically based on an engine plane developed by the Porsche years before (1909), this engine has proven to be more reliable, silent, economic and cheaper than other all the time. Called E-Engine (the E indicating how many attempts were made until they reach the final design), the engine was basically the same as today, except for electric fuel pump (replaced by the mechanical pump, more reliable) and the crankshaft in iron.

The choice of four-cylinder engine was the opposition of ferrenha Heinrich Nordhoff (then representing the RDA), but this was the final choice. Curved plates of metal, shortening the front and rear bonnet "corcunda" ultimately give the car a characteristic aspect of "beetle". One problem with the rear was getting so short space for the engine. A brilliant idea, adopted in the VW Beetle was tilting slightly into the engine, which economize precious centimetres of the bonnet.