What are the upsides to putting an engine in the backseat like in a Bug? I'd imagine it must do something for the compactness since it seems to be a feature in especially compact cars?

To the un-initiated, there are three engine configurations. Front engine, mid-engine and the rear engine.

One reason for the rear engine is to have the weight over the drive wheels. The other is for simplicity. Engine, transmission and differential all together is more economical to manufacture and yes, compact. With the advent of the “Front Wheel Drive”, this now is the best of all concepts. All the weight is over the drive and steering wheels.

My racecar is a VW Rabbit. Don’t laugh. Vary competitive for it’s class. It is a front wheel drive and when cornering, the rear will always follow the front as long as I keep power to the wheels. If I lift, that means take my foot of the gas, the car will “Understeer. Understeer is when the car goes straight when you are trying to turn. Also known as “Plowing.” Oversteer is when it turns faster then what you really want.

There are many racecars with rear engine, rear wheel drive. This helps to get the power to the road.

There are some racecars with mid-engine arrangement. This is kind of the best of both worlds. Weight over the power wheels and weight over the steering wheels.

I think I know the next question. What is the difference between rear and mid-engine? Rear engine the engine is behind the rear axel. Mid-engine, the engine is in front of the rear axel.

Actually my next question is, you have a racecar? Does that mean you race around tracks and all?

Thanks, Wow. Very informative answer, as usual.

Yes, not as much as I use to. Leave the driving to my son now.

See "Help Wanted" in the motorsports column.

Just an FYI, a little more about rearwheel drive.

Porsche designs the VW Beetle

Thanks, Wow. That air-cooled engine sounds like a smart idea.

One of the problems with a mid or rear engine car is the car has the tendency to get "tail happy". Tail happy happens when the rear end of the car is heavier than the front end. If the heavy end loses traction in a curve, the heavy part wants to be in front. Thus the car ends up pointing in the wrong direction.

If you can find a car with a 50/50 weight distribution, 50% weight on the front tires and 50% of the weight on the rear, your car is well balanced and will hold the road on the turns.

A good example of this is the Porsche 944. It has a front mounted engine (water-cooled) and a rear mounted transmission giving it a 50/50 weight distribution.

Walks on water, I finally got my Porsche.

Got to top of page one for picture.

NC

I was once the proud owner of a Porsche 914, a low-end Porsche with a Volkswagen engine that I purchased used in the late 1980s. They were all hardtop convertibles.

It was a mid-engine two-seater that was close to 50-50 in weight distribution. I raced it once at a Porsche Club event where an artificial course was laid out with cones in a stadium parking lot. (The "races" were against the clock, one car at a time.) It was so low and wide that it was virtually impossible for the car to roll on its side during racing maneuvers, though it would often spin out ("tail happy", as NCcichlid puts it) in tight curves.

It was a lot of fun to drive, but not very practical as everyday transportation. It required unleaded gasoline (try finding that nowadays) and repairs were ridiculously expen$ive. I also wasn't too thrilled about sitting directly behind 15 gallons of fuel. Traded it in for a practical family sedan.

But the midship engine placement made it a dream to handle during cornering. I guess I'll have to wait for a midlife crisis before I get another opportunity to drive such a well-balanced car. (Never drive a car better balanced than yourself. )

I am sure the professor ment "Leaded Gas".

You can by "Octane boosters or as I call them, "Lead in a bottle."

Yes, leaded gas is what I meant. At the pumps it was labeled "regular".