Porsche engines are manufactured by Dr.-Ing h.c. F. Porsche K.-G., originally in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany and later in Weissach, Germany. The firm is well-known, of course, for its sports and racing cars. In the 1950s, European builders of light aircraft began adapting the air-cooled Porsche horizontally-opposed auto engines to these aircraft, just as they did with the Volkswagen engines that had a similar design origin. Porsche cooperated with some of these builders by factory-built engines derived from their auto engines, whereas VW did not. Porsche built their first generation aircraft engines for about six years (1957-1963). Then, in the 1980s, Porsche again derived aircraft engines from their auto-engine family and are said to have spent $75 million dollars to do so, only to withdraw from the market in about 1991 during the downswing in aircraft sales resulting from liability issues. (See the article "Engine Development Cost", Part 1, by Douglas G. Culy, in TMW03". The Type Certificates (TC) listed below as LBA refer to certification by the Luftfahrt Bundesamt (Federal Office of Civil Aviation), the German equivalent of the FAA in the US. Certification is to the European JAR requirements. Both the Porsche factory engines and other Porsche auto engines adapted for aircraft by non-factory conversions are described below.
O-97 -- {3.248 / 2.913 / 96.6} / {82.5 / 74 / 1582}
4cyl; Type 678/0; 55hp@4200rpm, 65@4500 (TO) ; 1957-1962; Wt = 192#; LBA TC = 4502.
Dual-ignition, geared to 0.588.
J57-58toJ59-60; W59-60.
Applications: None found.
4cyl; Type 678/1; 55hp@4200rpm, 65@4500 (TO) ; 1958-1962; Wt = 234#; LBA TC = 4502.
Dual-ignition, geared to 0.472; had an electric starter.
J58-59toJ61-62.
Applications: None found.
4cyl; Type 678/3, 678/3A; 50hp@3150rpm, 52@3200 (TO) ; 1957-1962; Wt = 154-187#; LBA TC = 4502.
Dual-ignition, direct drive; the 678/3 was hand-cranked; the 678/3A had an electric starter.
J58-59toJ61-62; W62-63.
Applications: (France) Druine D.31 Turbulent; Nicollier HN 433 Menestral. (Germany) Aero Jodel (Zuerl) D.9A Bebe; Pützer Elster (Magpie); RFW (later RFB) RW3a Multoplane.
4cyl; Type 678/4; 70hp@4500rpm, 75@4600 (TO) ; 1959-1962; Wt = 250#; US TC = 7E2 on 10/18/60, LBA TC = 4502.
Dual-ignition, cooled with a radial blower fan, and geared to 0.685, 0.588, 0.505, or 0.472.
US Military version was YO-95-6.
J59-60toJ61-62; W62-63.
Applications: (Germany) RAAB-Flugzeugbau Aeroscooter (deBernardi Italy design); RFW (later RFB) RW3a Multoplane. (UK) Tawney Owl [G-APWU]. (US) Gyrodyne GC-59 (Military QH-50).
4cyl; Type 702/3; 68hp@4400rpm, 72@4500 (TO) ; 1962-1963; Wt = 190#; LBA TC = 4560.
Dual-ignition, for vertical operation in helicopters.
W62-63.
Applications: None found.
O-195 -- {3.740 / 2.929 / 193.1} / {95 / 74.4 / 3164}
6cyl; PFM 3200 N03; N/Ahp@N/A rpm, 217@5300 (TO); 1983-1991; Wt = 403#; US TC = E23NE on 8/30/85, LBA TC = 4602.
Derived from Porsche 911 sports car engine; ducted-fan air cooling; direct fuel injection; geared to 0.442. Engine is fully aerobatic and has single-lever control (including altitude compensation and electronic ignition).
N00 (de-rated for auto fuel), N01and N02 versions also exist. The N01 and N02 give 212hp@5300rpm for TO; the N03 version is in the type-certificated Mooney M20L PFM.
BGP; J84-85toJ90-91.
Applications: (France) Socata TB 16; Robin DR 400 RP. (Germany) Extra 330 aerobatic [D-EEHE]; Grob GF-200 (planned); Ruschmeyer MF-85P-RG, -FG. (US) Cessna 182 Skylane test installation during 1983; Mooney M20L PFM.
Many more Porsche air-cooled auto engines have been converted for aircraft use by individual aircraft homebuilders and their suppliers. This is a similar situation to that of homebuilders who converted VW engines for aircraft use. The applications listed below have not been identified by their builders, but have been reported to have been used as indicated. The Porsche 356 engine data below have been obtained from the 356 Website and Pelican Parts Website.
O-66 -- {2.894 / 2.520 / 66.3} / {73.5 / 64 / 1086}
4cyl; Type 369, "1100cc"; 25-35hp@N/A rpm ; 1950-1960; Wt = N/A.
J58-59toJ59-60 (applications).
Applications: (Belgium) Avions Fairey T-66 Tipsy Nipper; (Hungary) Motor-Pilis.
O-91 -- {3.150 / 2.913 / 90.8} / {80 / 74 / 1488}
Same stroke as O-97, O-120.
4cyl; Types 527, 528, 546, "1500cc"; 45-50hp@N/A rpm ; 1951-1970; Wt = N/A.
J56-57 (applications).
Applications: (Germany) RFW (later RFB) RW3-A2, -A3.
O-97 -- {3.248 / 2.913 / 96.6} / {82.5 / 74 / 1582}
Same stroke as O-91, O-120.
4cyl; Type 616, "1600cc"; 65hp@N/A rpm; 1957-1975; Wt = N/A.
J56-57toJ576-58 (applications).
Applications: (Germany) RFW (later RFB) RW3 1600 S; Scheibe SF-23 Sperling.
O-120 -- {3.622 / 2.913 / 120.1} / {92 / 74 / 1968}
Same stroke as O-91, O-97.
4cyl; Type 587, Carrera 2, "2000cc"; 82hp@N/A rpm; 1962-1980; Wt = N/A.
J74-75 (application).
Applications: (Germany) Wilden Vo (D) Wi-8.