The first Type I Beetles have been powered by a 1,131 cc flat-four that produced simply 25 horsepower, however by the point the Type III was launched on the 1961 Frankfurt International Motor Show, the Type I engine had grown to 1,200 cc and will make 40 horsepower. Type IIIs received a newly designed 1,493 cc, 53 horsepower motor with a solid aluminum and magnesium alloy block. The Type III engine had a solid metal crankshaft, on the finish of which was hooked up to the engine’s cooling fan. This configuration meant the fan sat decrease on the block than on Type I engines and the generator was mounted decrease on the engine as properly. 

The exterior oil cooler was rotated sideways, and a second carburetor was added to the Type III engine in 1966. The extra gasoline the second carb supplied boosted energy output to 65 horsepower. However, the engine was nonetheless simply 18 inches from high to backside, permitting it to suit underneath the trunk ground of the Type III fastback that was launched that yr. At 249 kilos, the 1966 Type III engine outweighed its 1,300 cc Type I counterpart by simply 5 kilos however produced 15 extra horsepower.