[Zhang Fei]

[Of course, there is the issue of water freezing. So an air-cooled engine is probably more reliable.]

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Owners of the original VW bug will attest to this. Summers, however, are hell on the air-cooled engines, in any kind of congestion.

[dhs12345]

I was a VW owner. A Karmann Ghia. The engine over the rear wheels helped with traction in the snow.

Only one complaint — the heater was terrible. Carbon Monoxide if the exhaust system wasn't tight and it didn't work that well. I had to scrape the inside of the windshield as well as the outside. LOL.

[VTenigma]

Air cooled dubbers were great cars for winter driving. Lots of weight over the drive axles, not much problem starting if the proper oil was used. The one major drawback was HVAC. The heat was abysmal, the defrost nearly non-existant on shot hops. The solution was the old plow operator trick, don’t use the heat and run with your window down so your breath won’t fog the window.

People did what they had to in those days, these days they need their creature comforts so they can run out in their shorts and loafers to the store when it’s -10f (not kidding). I still use those old tricks to keep my windshield clear in blizzards while plowing or crawling on mountains in a snowcat.