I had VW's as a teenager in the early '70's, and gave them a really, really hard time. Heard a belt go once on the motorway, so floored it and thrashed the engine as hard as I could, got off near home, drove around the streets thrashing it....got bored and drove home a bit disappointed it was still running. I did the offset hinges trick, until the engine cover ripped out the hinges, then took it off....dropped valves of course, seized them from lack of oil ( and lack of checking), just abuse of every sort...clutchless shifts all the time, sidestepping the clutch in reverse until it had no reverse. I was relentless in my cruelty.
When I first got my '54 the tin ware at the back of the engine was missing, and it would recycle the hot air until the fuel boiled in the fuel pump and the engine cut out. With all this abuse I guess the oil must've over heated, but not enough to kill an engine.This is it when the cops finally put it off the road...and took my license for 3 months.
I've ridden aircooled bikes off road so hard that when I checked how hot the engine was with my hand, my palm went shiny and all finger prints disappeared - without a temp gauge, I think that is pretty hot. Again, no engine damage.