Mid-engine design
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A mid-mounted engine describes the placement of an automobile engine between the centerline of the rear and front axles. Traditionally, the term mid-engine layout has been reserved for cars that place the engine and transaxle behind the driver and in front of the rear axles, as in the Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari Testarossa.
An engine placed in front of the driver's compartment but fully behind the front axle line also qualifies as mid-engine, although this layout is rarely seen. An example of this "front mid-engine" layout is the Citroën Traction Avant, Citroën DS, Citroën SM, and Panoz GTR.
Mid-engine designs are usually used in sports or racing cars, as the engine placement provides a low polar moment of inertia. This aids in quickly changing the direction of the automobile's travel, albeit at the price of reduced straight line stability.
The drawback of mid-engine cars is packaging--the space the engine takes up could have otherwise been used for passengers or trunk space. In the "behind the passenger" design, engine cooling can also be a potential problem, as in the Porsche 914 or Lotus Esprit, but that problem seems to have been largely solved in newer designs such as the Porsche 986.
See also
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