This is what I think…
by Mike Gulett –
Recently I saw a beautiful silver McLaren on the road and it started me thinking, again, about a subject that has been on my mind for some time. Why are mid-engine sports car so popular for street driving today? I have some limited experience with mid-engine sports cars, namely a Ferrari 360 Modena that I sold after about 3 years and bought a Ferrari 550 Maranello. I liked the 550 so much better.
They both were fast, handled very well, sounded great and looked great. But the mid-engine 360 was very low to the ground (making access difficult at times) and it was a little noisy inside because the engine was so close to passenger and driver.
Ferrari 360 Modena
The 550 was easier to get into and out of, had better visibility and was quieter inside. Overall it was a much better experience. I have had the same positive results with my 2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S. Both the Ferrari 550 and Aston Martin Vanquish make better long distance driving cars than any mid-engine car.
Ferrari 550 Maranello
Ferrari produces mostly mid-engine cars today (although they have made a few front-engine models that do not seem to be as popular as the mid-engine ones based on what I see on the road) and both McLaren and Lamborghini are all mid-engine (not counting the SUVs). I am happy that Aston Martin seems to be sticking to front engine sports cars, at least for now.
I am not including Porsche in this discussion because the rear-engine placement on the 911 makes it less of an issue than the mid-engine placement of the cars mentioned here. I drove a Porsche 911 for 20 years and to me it did not have the same problems as the Ferrari 360.
In the 1960s mid-engine race cars began to dominate road racing but does that mean they should dominate street driven sports cars as well?
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Aston Martin Vanquish S
Excellent points. I have never owned a mid engine car but I also love the elegant hoodline of the front engine cars;
Completely agree, while technically advanced the trade offs of having mid engine cars are many… maintaining them is generally far more involved… I can’t help but wonder if they truly make much sense from anything resembling practicality… just finished doing repairs on a clients 914 Porsche and the compromises that had to be made to produce what should have been a relatively simple were excessive even that far back… and yes they drive very well, but is the headache really worth it?
Years ago I had a 914 Porsche and found it to be a terrific packaging solution especially when compared to the Pontiac Solstice introduced when I had it as my everyday drier.. The front boot was quite deep and could accomodate a styrofoam cooler by trimming the top away to get the lid fitting under the hood, so anything bulky fit right in there. In the trunk, the top lifted off and rested on 4 pegs whih made the trunk an inch or so shallower. My portfolio easily fity in the shallow space. Clumsy oversized stuff just sat on the passenger seat and if needed, the top came off to allow for anything really tall. All in all, the 914 roof was easier to deal with than my ’78 911 Targa. Today’s technology allows sterling handling without the need to have that mid engine design, except for the bragging rights IMHO.