Hah! Your the one that got me saying Boxter! 
I don't see the "wide angle V" you are talking about in the image above. Looks very flat to me (pistons appear to be 180 degrees apart), but you would need to see the crank to know if it is a boxer, right?
Wikipedia explains it as: "each pair of opposing pistons move inwards and outwards at the same time, somewhat like boxing competitors punching their gloves together before a fight" which is a more mechanical way of saying what Pete said. They have a good illustration of it. Not how the boxer, on the left, has opposing pistons sharing the same crank position.
aircooled said:
Hah! Your the one that got me saying Boxter!
I don't see the "wide angle V" you are talking about in the image above. Looks very flat to me (pistons appear to be 180 degrees apart), but you would need to see the crank to know if it is a boxer, right?
Wikipedia explains it as: "each pair of opposing pistons move inwards and outwards at the same time, somewhat like boxing competitors punching their gloves together before a fight" which is a more mechanical way of saying what Pete said. They have a good illustration of it. Not how the boxer, on the left, has opposing pistons sharing the same crank position.
The one on the left isn't a boxer, that's why 
V engine can be any bank angle, 180 degrees is a perfectly cromulent angle for a V engine. I guess you could technically go "more" but that's just less, upside-down.
I wonder if Porsche ever made a 8 cyl motor that used normal 911 rods , cylinders and heads ?
They did draw up a 4 cyl motor that used these parts which was the basis for the Beck , Polo and Emory 4 cyl 911 based motors .
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
V engine can be any bank angle, 180 degrees is a perfectly cromulent angle for a V engine. I guess you could technically go "more" but that's just less, upside-down.
That's like calling this a 180 degree angle (but, if that is how it's defined, that is how it's defined):
californiamilleghia said:
I wonder if Porsche ever made a 8 cyl motor that used normal 911 rods , cylinders and heads ?
They did draw up a 4 cyl motor that used these parts which was the basis for the Beck , Polo and Emory 4 cyl 911 based motors .
I know Chevy had developed a prototype "modular" engine, that could be easily built as anything from a 4 cylinder to an 8 cylinder using aircraft style "jugs" (individual cylinders and heads). A lot easier when you don't have to worry about overhead cams:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/engine-prototype-the-stillborn-corvair-gen2-modular-engine-from-two-to-twelve-cylinders/
The SAE Internal Combustion Engine Handbook defines a boxer engine as "An engine with the cylinders arranged in one plane with two opposing cylinder banks." it goes on to say "They can also be called 180 degree V engines in which the opposing pistons and conrods work on a common throw or their own throw." When discussing V engines it says "In practice, V angles can have values anywhere from 0 degrees (inline engine) to 180 degrees (boxer motor)."
In my experience when talking with engineers at multiple OEMs as well as specialty design houses like Ricardo and Prodrive. 180 degree V engines are usually called boxers and 0 degree Vs are called inline. If they're larger than 180 degree as used in some aircraft they're usually called inverted V.
Thus ends my geek download of the day. Tune in at some random time in the future when I type out an unsolicited treatise on pre-ignition, detonation and pre-detonation. Spoiler alert, There's no such thing as pre-detonation.
In reply to aircooled :
rumor had it that Porsche helped GM design the Corvair motor ,
Who knows for sure !
Yeah, I don't know if that is true or not, but I CAN say, I used to work for a company that was once part of Lockheed (across the street from what to used to be Lockheed's airport, now a shopping center). There was an old school guy there (also a old flat track racer) who worked there forever and was there when it was Lockheed.
I am not sure if this was a direct experience, or told to him, but in the late 50's, there were a number of GM engineers visiting Lockheed to find out more about casting aluminum, which Lockheed has a lot of experience with and GM had little apparently. I suspect the primary interest was figuring out how to cast the finned cylinder heads (which stock, almost always have a good amount of flash in the fins)
Well I just passed my 67th birthday and nobody left one of these in my driveway.
Toebra
Dork
10/22/20 8:30 a.m.
MotorsportsGordon said:
Mid engine well I guess listed as rear mid engine meaning the engine is a bit further back but still ahead of the rear wheels. The 904 was rear mid engine aswell.
It would stick forward more
914 was always neutered. Put the same motor in that chassis and a 911 and the ass engine car gets handed its ass.
As Dana Carvey would say in his best George Bush, shaking both fingers at you, "Not gonna do it."
911 has been the halo car forever. I think the Carrera GTS/904 in the 60's and that insane GT more recently were the only times they sold a street car with a motor equal or greater than what you could get in the 911. Until they started the hybrid cars I guess.
I know there's a company out there who makes four cyl Boxers using Porsche flat six pistons, jugs, rods and heads with a custom crankcase and cams. They make way more power than any comparable Porsche four cyl or modified VW based engine. They are for well healed enthusiasts who want a real hot rod 912. I'm sure the same thing must be possible to make a flat eight using the same basic idea. That would be a wild way to recreate this.
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:
I know there's a company out there who makes four cyl Boxers using Porsche flat six pistons, jugs, rods and heads with a custom crankcase and cams. They make way more power than any comparable Porsche four cyl or modified VW based engine. They are for well healed enthusiasts who want a real hot rod 912. I'm sure the same thing must be possible to make a flat eight using the same basic idea. That would be a wild way to recreate this.
Chuck Beck did the first one I saw , he built it for a 12 hour race in his Back 550 Spyder ,
He took a stock case and cut the center 2 cylinders out of it ,
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Yup, POLO motors have now (limited scale) productionized them. Throw a couple of trunk loads of Benjamins at them and I'm sure they'll do the same for a flat 8. Imagine a flat 8 in a Beck 904!!!
