The configuration of an engine isn't just about power. Designers have to take size, shape, and available space into consideration, too.

Flat engines are horizontally-opposed piston engines, and this group includes Boxer engines, but not opposed-piston engines like the Cummins 14.3L Advanced Combat Engine (ACE) designed to power tanks.

Although Subaru didn't invent flat engines, and isn't the only automaker still using them, those motors have become a defining characteristic of the brand. (The same can be said for all-wheel drive, ...

Car companies used to have an obsession with the number 12, especially in Formula 1. The siren song of a duodecimal engine has ensnared many an automaker, resulting in shrieking double sixes with ...

Porsche's flat-six design might be the most popular from the brand. But it's used a number of other designs in the past, as ...

Dear Tom and Ray: I have a question about horizontally opposed, or "boxer," engines. To the best of my knowledge, only Porsche and Subaru use this type of engine design now. Subaru goes so far as to ...

Gerhard started his career in automotive journalism in 2010, after finishing degrees in Communication, English, and Politics, and diplomas in Film and Art Appreciation and Graphic Design. He's ...

Dick is one of the fortunate ones who can say, "I never went to work a day in my life." He always loved what he did for a living. Still sharply focused at age 83, he's been tinkering with things ...

Most cars on the road today use an inline engine. You'll find them in everything from economy hatchbacks to performance models. In fact, the inline six engine has been making a comeback in recent ...

The plastic cover of a Subaru Boxer engine showing the Subaru constellation logo - Topuria Design/Shutterstock Flat engines are horizontally-opposed piston engines, and this group includes Boxer ...