re
"I" is confusing, as it is alsu osed to indicate that the crankshaft
lies along the car's axis (as opposed to transverse, where the crank
lies across the car... or bike)."

That would sure be news to me,
since everywhere I've ever read or been in the automtoive world, going back
a buncha decades,
engine configuration abbreviations, ( H6, I4, I5,  V12 etc etc. ) refer
*only* to the basic layout of the engine,
and have zero to do with how it's arranged in the vehicle, whether sideways,
'inlineways' , diagnoally, or standing on its end.

and someone knows how VW got 'VR' for their  VR6 configuration desugnation.
My guess it's derived from a couple of german words.
( for those not familiar, a VR6 is a narrow angle V-6, and what's
'different' about it is, it only has one cylinder head.  For a mind teaser
...........If you joined two onto one crankshaft, side by side, not end to
end, that would be a W12.  They may have not made that one, but they have a
W8 for sure, which would be two narrow angle V4's joined side by side on one
crankshaft, I believe - used in the Phaeton car I'm pretty sure.  )

Wikipedia - lots of info on stuff like engine configurations there, I bet.

Scott

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Grebneff" <goose1047@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 11:39 AM
Subject: Re: Oettinger syncro van FS

Snail-boy, I don't think I've ever seen an 'S' shaped engine. I have seen an
> I5 - 'I' for Inline... =)

I use S for Straight, as in a Buick Straight-8.

"I" is confusing, as it is alsu osed to indicate that the crankshaft
lies along the car's axis (as opposed to transverse, where the crank
lies across the car... or bike).

Straight-4, straight-5 etc.

--
Regards
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
Mollusc, Toyota & VW van fan