The German Profi Engines

	Photo of the cover of the instruction sheet furnished with each engine.  Shown are the 6 engines produced by Hans Hoernlein.  All followed the same styling - that of the Cox engines.
PROFI 10 Glow Pictured above is the Profi 10 - 1.76cc glow engine. These are seldom seen as original Hoernlein built engines as few were actually produced and even fewer exported to other countries. It is believed that the majority of these found in collections were built by Ron Valentine.  His company in Germany produced parts for a number of model engine companies as well as other precision machine items.	PROFI 10 Diesel Pictured below is the Profi 10 - 1.76cc diesel engine. These are most certainly products of Ron Valentine using parts left over from original production.  These were, and are built only on special order.   Pictured below on the left is a side exhaust FF/UC engine with a standard venturi and on the right is a rear exhaust R/C engine belonging to Steve Archembault and made on special order from Ron Valentine.

PROFI 15 Glow

Below are two views of the 2.5cc (15 cu. in.) Profi in the Jim Dunkin Collection of the World's .15 size engines. These pictures show the muffler that was furnished with all (except the .10) engines installed.  Both the .10 and .15 size engines used a small, barstock aluminum rotary barrel throttle arrangement.

Note also the lack of a sticker on the left side of the crankcase.  This was not a Nelson imported engine.  It was originally sold only on the German and European model market . 

	PROFI 20 Glow Profi 20 - 3.5cc is a slightly larger version of the .15 size engine except for the carburetor.  Pictured below and left is the very smooth push/pull carburetor used on all of the R/C engine from 3.5cc up.  Also, while not pictured on most of these engines, all except the .10 were supplied with a muffler.  This engine is also without the sticker on the left side indicating it was originally sold in Europe. Pictured engine in the Steve Archembault collection.
PROFI 40 Glow The 1976 model 40 R/C with the Nelson Products sticker on the side.  One more step up in size.  Uses the push/pull type of carburetor. Engine in the David R. Janson collection.
	PROFI 60 Glow This 1976 model was also imported by Nelson although the sticker has been removed from the left side.   Uses the push/pull type of carburetor. To the left is a unique feature of the Profi muffler.  It has replaceable elements to adjust the amount of back pressure and noise suppression.

	PROFI 74 Glow Very few of the 12.62cc Profi engines made it to the USA.  This example is from a complete set in the Darrel Peugh collection. Larger all over, this would have been a very powerful performer if sales had been successful. Darrel also has a small supply of the .10 engines shown at the top that are available. Below is a profile of this manufacturer.

This Manufacturers Profile was supplied by David R. Janson and was taken from his book on compiling a number of these stories.

No. 20 in a continuing series by David R. Janson,   SAM 273

The German Johannes Graupner Corp. is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of electric model kits and all related paraphernalia. The Hobby Lobby International Inc., of Brentwood, TN is the US distributor. When this "fledgling" Graupner company began operations in the early 1950's they hired a young designer/ machinist named Hans Hornlein who subsequently produced the Taifun (Typhoon) line of small diesel and glow engines up to 3.5cc exclusively for Graupner.

They were sold mainly on the continent in competition with British and Italian small engines for over 20 years, 1955 to 1976. As a further note of historical interest, a small 2cc diesel had been designed by BH Kratzsch, nephew of WK Kratzsch (the most famous name in German model engine history) and an engine expert in his own right, in the early 1950's.

Hans Hornlein was to build the small engine which he did. PGF Chinn, in his "Foreign Notes" column for MAN, July 1975, gave us our first glimpse of the Profi line of glow model airplane engines, designed and manufactured by Hans Hornlein, of 7917 Vohringen Lindenstrabe 25, Oistfact kk40, West Germany. The engines were to be distributed world wide by Kussmaul, The Multiplex R/C manufacturer, Europe's largest.

Six displacements, from a .10 through .15, .20, .40, .61 and .74 cid, were to be produced. All shaft valve models with a "Cox" looking crankcase and front end design, machined from bar stock, they were of the finest workmanship. Nelson Model Products, of Chicago had been advertising the Hirtenberger (HP) Austrian line of engines and in July, 1975, (MAN) suddenly switched to the full page advertisement..."a new series of engines, the "competition quality" Profi engines from West Germany.

This first ad pictured the 40F and the 6lF R/C with a breakdown of the unique silencer for the engines. Touted were the Schnuerle porting, double ball bearings, silencer system "with insert for adjusting noise level to fit local requirements," heavy duty construction, precision machining and on and on. The engines were priced from $140 to $180 for the 61 and 74 and were never discounted in the hobby shops that were fortunate enough to get them for sale. For just a 12 month period the ads were shown in MAN through Nelson's, hardly varying in composition with the last ad in MAN, July, 1976 from Midwest Model Supply formerly the Nelson distributor, with the same address.

The "new" Profi 20 R/C for "aircraft, cars and boats," appeared twice, in March and April of 1977 before disappearing forever it seems. Hans Hornlein's single attempt to market his own line of model engines was simply not a success. These truly beautiful engines with black cylinder heads, natural, polished aluminum cylinders, gold anodized lower case and black "noses" surely did resemble the much smaller Cox design configurations and were unique in a number of ways. An estimated 10,000 production for world wide distribution meant that they were in short supply everywhere. Collectors have shown a modest interest in the engines as the smaller displacements are scarce. If one were to collect a true "family" of engines, the Profi engines would be enticing. It is questionable if the little "10" and "15" ever reached the states.

Any further information on these beautiful engines would be welcome.  You can use the ameebooks@gmail.com eMail address or 2385 Lisa Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80915-4371 for items that won't fit in an eMail.

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