Horizontally opposed - No googling!!

What a brilliant thread, honestly never knew Citroen used to make rotary engines never mind flat 4 engines.

+1000 to the OP.

Can we have more of these please?

This is exactly the type of stuff that I want to see on a Motors forum.

It does do to show how boring modern cars have become, they're like all the friggin same at this stage really, yes they're faster, more reliable, safer, more economical, but where's the innovation and quirkiness all gone to?

Modern engines are getting more and more efficient, and that's all well and good, but it is genuinely sad to see how so many Volvos now only have 4 rather than 5 cylinders(I wouldn't mind but they sounded fantastic too:(), and the same goes for Audi, for years they were famous for their 5 pot engines, and BMW have quietened down their 6 cylinder models so much one wonders what's the point in having one.

When you see Lotus developing a 3 cylinder engine(they have a 1.5 turbo 3 pot in development), Merc now saying that their Bluetec hybrids will only need 4 cylinders for anything up to "3.0 litres" (a 300 Bluetec hybrid will have a 2.2 4 pot diesel, even the S300 which is a crying shame); this from a make that was always about refinement, VW replacing the V6 Golf with a dreary 4 pot that will sound crap above 4000 rpm like all 4 pots do, BMW now thinking that a straight 6 covers everything up to "4.0 litres"(and there was a time when a "3.5" BMW meant a V8) it really does not leave me with a lot of hope for the future of the internal combustion engine, it's just all becoming the same old stuff these days.

In short, modern engines are getting very, very dull.

Faster and more powerful, but all the character, drama and excitement is definately falling by the wayside. I really expected more from the manufacturers than just chopping cylinders at the drop of a hat, especially when one considers how innovative car makers can be when they really want to.

Performance isn't everything; I'd happily lose power for a better exhaust note, and what better way to get a better exhaust note than having an engine with more cylinders?