Araon
Well-known member
1972 Bus & Westfalia Camper
These were the first years for VW's new "pancake" engine, originally developed for the commercially ill-fated Type 4 sedan and also used on the Porsche 914. (Outside of the U.S., the old Beetle engine remained an option until the early 1980's.) The Type 4 engine is considered by many to be VW's finest air-cooled motor, more powerful than the bug motor with no sacrifice in reliability or gas mileage. Also, many items can be serviced without removing the motor (heads, alternator, pushrod tubes, etc.) The new Type 4 drivetrain was to be refined over the years; these early versions had smaller engines (1700cc) and clutches than later versions, so the improvement over the earlier 1600cc versions was minimal.. The '72 lacks an engine hatch, making access to the new, larger motor difficult.
These were the first years for VW's new "pancake" engine, originally developed for the commercially ill-fated Type 4 sedan and also used on the Porsche 914. (Outside of the U.S., the old Beetle engine remained an option until the early 1980's.) The Type 4 engine is considered by many to be VW's finest air-cooled motor, more powerful than the bug motor with no sacrifice in reliability or gas mileage. Also, many items can be serviced without removing the motor (heads, alternator, pushrod tubes, etc.) The new Type 4 drivetrain was to be refined over the years; these early versions had smaller engines (1700cc) and clutches than later versions, so the improvement over the earlier 1600cc versions was minimal.. The '72 lacks an engine hatch, making access to the new, larger motor difficult.
