Air-cooled engine enthusiasts will be thrilled to hear that the Audrain Automobile Museum in Newport, US, has launched a new exhibition dedicated to iconic air-cooled vehicles. Titled Air-Cooled: Keep It Simple, the exhibition highlights a diverse range of machines, from road and racing cars to motorcycles, go-karts and even tractors.
“Visitors will have the chance to experience first-hand the history, ingenuity and simplicity that have shaped the development of air-cooled engines,” said David de Muzio, Audrain’s executive director and chief curator. “This exhibit blends vintage and modern cars and motorcycles, offering a comprehensive look at how these engines revolutionised transportation and continue to inspire innovation.”
The exhibition showcases 15 cars (and one tractor) built from 1905 to 2024, alongside a selection of bikes, karts and a 3.5-litre flat-six engine from a Porsche 911. Audrain president Nic Waller added that the exhibition “underscores our commitment to preserving and celebrating the rich history of automotive technology” and serves as “a tribute to the enduring legacy of the air-cooled combustion engine”.
Having previewed the exhibition, which runs from March 22 to July 13, 2025, Magneto can confirm that there’s plenty for air-cooled aficionados to admire. Here are five of our top picks:
1908 Cameron Model 9
The Model 9 was one of four models Cameron introduced in 1908. Powered by an air-cooled four-cylinder that developed 20bhp, the Model 9 could carry four people, had a 45mph top speed and was priced at $1100 in period ($37,982 adjusted for inflation).
This example is one of only two remaining and is on loan to the Audrain Automobile Museum from vintage car collector and restorer Dick Shappy. The car was built in New England, 13 years before the Cameron marque disappeared in 1921.
1936 Indian 436 Upside-Down Four
This 1936 Indian Model 436, a restored example of the second-generation Indian four-cylinder motorcycles, was designed to challenge Harley Davidson’s new ‘Knucklehead’ OHV V-twin engines. While the configuration was unusual, Indian was not the first to use a fore-and-aft inline four-cylinder engine, which dates back to the pre-WW1 era. This rare 1936 ‘Upside-Down Four’ model was produced for only two years before Indian returned to a more traditional intake-over-exhaust configuration in 1938.
The 78ci engine has been subjected to a comprehensive overhaul by a marque expert, and it showcases original features such as exposed exhaust valves, a Marvel updraft carburettor, a leaf-spring front fork, a three-speed transmission and a six-volt electrical system. As well as being innovative, the Upside-Down Four is also very beautiful and a great example of Art Deco motorcycle design.
1968 Tatra T603
From the other side of the Berlin Wall comes this: a 1968 Tatra T603. Finished in a villainous shade of black, the T603 boasts an attribute normally associated with classic Porsche 911s: a rear-mounted and air-cooled engine. Unlike the 911, however, the Tatra T603 is fitted with a 2.4-litre V8 rather than a flat-six.
Significantly, Tatra is one of very few manufacturers that still builds air-cooled engines for trucks, although the Czech company stopped installing the units in passenger cars many years ago. Today, Tatra recommends returning its air-cooled passenger cars to the factory once every seven years for refurbishment. The example showcased originally belonged to the Czechoslovak State Railways and spent the majority of its life in Prague.
1995 Porsche 962 Kremer K8 Spyder
Porsche is the brand most synonymous with air-cooled engines, particularly its iconic air-cooled flat-six designed by the legendary Hans Mezger. This engine powered 911s for more than 30 years before being replaced by water cooling in 1998.
The 962 Kremer K8 Spyder, built just three years before the end of Porsche’s air-cooled era, is equipped with one of the most powerful air-cooled Mezger engines ever produced: the 530bhp Type 935. Its performance was so exceptional that this car – one of only four ever built – clinched victory at the 1995 Daytona 24 Hours, finishing five laps ahead of the second-place Spice BDG-02. A fitting swan song for one of Porsche’s final air-cooled endurance racers.
1956 Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, better known as the Beetle, is not only one of the most iconic and successful passenger cars ever built, but it also evolved into the Porsche 356, which later gave rise to one of the most successful sports cars of all time: the Porsche 911. It also served as the basis for the Meyers Manx dune buggy.
For some, it’s surprising that a car so closely associated with Germany’s Nazi party has such an enduring and countercultural legacy – but that rather unfortunate origin story simply underlines what a brilliant piece of engineering the Beetle was.
Also surprising is the fact that the original Beetle remained in production until 2003, with its air-cooled flat-four engine still mounted behind the rear axle – just as it was in the 1930s. This particular example was built in 1956 and features a 1.2-litre flat-four that develops around 35bhp. Volkswagen created modern interpretations of the Beetle in 1998 and 2013, but neither were anywhere near as successful or impactful as the original.
For tickets and more information about the Audrain Automobile Museum, click here.
