The present study was focused on the combustion engine with a variable compression ratio (VCR), namely the four-stroke air-cooled engine with the active combustion chamber (ACC). An indicated pressure, torque, power, and specific fuel consumption of that engine were investigated experimentally as a goal of the present study. Experiments were conducted using two versions of an engine. Two parameters particularly influencing the ACC engine performance including the maximum compression ratio CRmax and the indicator γfm determining the correct operation of the ACC system, were described. It was found that the ACC engine allowed avoiding detonation combustion without changing the amount and composition of the combustible mixture, and even without delaying the ignition advance angle. In addition, the possible range of control of the combustion process allowed the ACC engine to operate with different types of hydrocarbon fuels, for example, in the form of petrol with various alcohol admixtures . The very intense flow of the combustible mixture inside the cylinder of the ACC engine allowed describing the combustion in the ACC engine with zero-dimensional mathematical models with the dual Vibe function providing the proper characterization of the heat release process. The use of very high maximum compression ratios allows the ACC engine to operate to a certain extent as a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine with high lambda coefficients.