Designed by Ferdinand Porsche, who later became famous as an automobile designer and manufacturer with his own company, Austria’s Austro-Daimler produced one of the world’s first successful aircraft engines at the beginning of World War I, a water-cooled, in-line six.

The Porsche Automobile Corporation of Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen designed the Type 678, a converted automotive engine intended to meet requirements for light general aviation aircraft in Europe in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the first aircraft engine developed in Germany after World War II.

Type 678 engines powered the Putzer Elster general aviation aircraft, the RFB RW.3-A3 Multoplane aerobatic and sporting aircraft, and the RFB RW.3 –A2 Multoplane power-assisted sailplane.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date Circa 1950s Country of Origin Germany Type PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary Manufacturer Porsche Automobile Corporation
 Physical Description Type: Reciprocating, 4 cylinders, horizontally opposed, air cooled Power rating: 37.3 kW (50 hp) at 4,080 rpm Displacement: 1.582 L (96.5 cu in) Bore and Stroke: 82.5 mm (3.25 in.) x 74 mm (2.91 in.) Weight: 105 kg (231.5 lb) Dimensions Length 72.6 cm (28.56 in.), Width 83.0 cm (32.69 in., Height 58.0 cm (22.81 in.)
 Materials Ferrous Alloy
Non-Magnetic Metals
Paint
Rubber
 Inventory Number A19710153000 Credit Line Gift of the Porsche Automobile Corporation Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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