Sketch of RMR layout

In automobile design, an RMR or Rear Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them, behind the passenger compartment. In contrast to the rear-engined RR layout, the center of mass of the engine is in front of the rear axle. This layout is typically chosen for its low polar inertia and relatively favorable weight distribution (the heaviest component is near the center of the car, making the main component of its moment of inertia relatively low). The layout has a tendency toward being heavier in the rear than the front, which allows for best balance to be achieved under acceleration. It is felt that the low polar inertia is crucial in selection of this layout. The mid-engined layout also uses up central space, making it impractical for any but two-seater sports cars. Image File history File links En_mr001_english. ... Image File history File links En_mr001_english. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Automotive design. ... Mid-engine in a Hanomag-Fahrgestell. ... Rear-wheel drive (or RWD for short) is an engine/transmission layout used in automobiles. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In physics, the center of mass of a system of particles is a specific point at which, for many purposes, the systems mass behaves as if it were concentrated. ... An engine is something that produces an effect from a given input. ... Moment of inertia, also called mass moment of inertia and, sometimes, the angular mass, (SI units kg m², Former British units slug ft2) quantifies the rotational inertia of a rigid body, i. ...

In modern racing cars, RMR is the usual configuration and is usually synonymous with "rear engine". Due to its favorable weight dynamics, this layout is heavily employed in Formula racing cars (such as F1s). This configuration was also common in very small engined 1950s microcars, in which the engines did not take up much space. Because of successes in racing, the RMR platform has been popular for road going sports cars despite the inherent challenges of design, maintenance and lack of cargo space. Formula racing is a form of motorsport where the type of automobiles used is regulated by a formula. ... Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel auto racing. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Messerschmitt KR200. ...

History

The 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen was the first race car with mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. It was based on an earlier design named Rumpler Tropfenwagen in 1921 made by Edmund von Rumpler, an Austrian engineer working at Daimler. The Benz tropfenwagen was designed by Ferdinand Porsche along with Willy Walb and Hans Nibel. It raced in 1923 and 1924 and was most successful in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza where it stood fourth. Later, Ferdinand Porsche used mid-engine design concept towards the Auto Union Grand Prix cars of the 1930s which became the first winning RMR racers. They were decades before their time, although MR Miller Specials raced a few times at Indianapolis between 1939 and 1947. In 1953 Porsche premiered the tiny and altogether new RMR 550 spyder and in a year it was notoriously winning in the smaller sports and endurance race car classes against much larger cars—a sign of greater things to come. The 718 followed similarly in 1958. But it was not until the late 1950s that RMR reappeared in Grand Prix (today's "Formula One") races in the form of the Cooper-Climax (1957), soon followed by cars from BRM and Lotus. Ferrari and Porsche soon made Grand Prix RMR attempts with less initial success. The mid-engined layout was brought back to Indianapolis in 1961 by the Cooper Car Company with Jack Brabham running as high as third and finishing ninth. Cooper did not return, but from 1963 on British built mid-engined cars from constructors like Brabham, Lotus and Lola competed regularly and in 1965 Lotus won Indy with their Type 38. Karl Benz Karl Friedrich Benz (November 25, 1844 – April 4, 1929) was a German engine designer and automobile engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile. ... Rumpler Tropfenwagen The Rumpler was a car developed by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. ... Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is a motorsport race track near the town of Monza, Italy, north of Milan. ... 1936 Auto Union Wanderer Auto Union was a joint venture of four German automobile manufacturers, established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression. ... Georges Boillot winning the 1912 French Grand Prix in Dieppe, France Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organized automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. ... “Indy 500” redirects here. ... This article is about the auto company. ... Porsche 550 Spyder Porsche 550 RS Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Porsche 550 Spyder The Porsche 550 was a sports car automobile produced by Porsche during the 1950s. ... The Porsche 718 was an automobile from Porsche released in 1958 and built until 1962. ... Formula One has its roots in the European Grand Prix motor racing ( for pre-1947 history) of the 1920s and 1930s. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Jack Brabhams 1961 Cooper-Climax, the car that began the rear-engine revolution at the Indianapolis 500 The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1947 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. ... Coventry Climax was a British specialty engine manufacturer. ... British Racing Motors (generally known as BRM) was a British Formula 1 motor racing team. ... Lotus Logo with monogram of its founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. ... Ferrari is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello and Modena, Italy. ... This article is about the auto company. ... “Indy 500” redirects here. ... Jack Brabhams 1961 Cooper-Climax, the car that began the rear-engine revolution at the Indianapolis 500 The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1947 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. ... Sir John Arthur Jack Brabham, OBE (born April 2, 1926) is an Australian racing driver who was Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966. ... Brabham - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Team Lotus was one of Formula 1s most successful teams. ... Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a racing car engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. ... Lotus 38 The Lotus 38 was designed by Colin Chapman as Lotus 1965 entry for the Indianapolis 500. ...

Cars using the RMR layout

Pre-1960s

• Rumpler Tropfenwagen (1921), first ever production road car with RMR layout and the first streamlined car too, 100 produced
• Porsche 550 Spyder (1954), 125 produced (including 90 road versions)
• Zündapp Janus (1957), literally mid-engined and nearly symmetrical with passengers on both ends of the engine

Rumpler Tropfenwagen The Rumpler was a car developed by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler. ... Porsche 550 Spyder Porsche 550 RS Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Porsche 550 Spyder The Porsche 550 was a sports car automobile produced by Porsche during the 1950s. ... It was difficult to see what was front and what was rear. ...

1960s to 1970s

• De Tomaso Pantera (1971–1996)
• De Tomaso Vallelunga (1965–1967)
• Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer
• Ferrari Dino 206/246 (1968)
• Ferrari 308
• Ferrari GT4
• Fiat X1/9, (1972–1989) 160,000 produced
• Ford GT40 (1966)
• Lamborghini Countach (1974–1990)
• Lamborghini Miura (1966–1974) 987 produced
• Lamborghini Urraco (1973–1979) 791 produced
• Lancia Monte Carlo (1975–1981)
• Lotus Europa (1966–1975) 9300 produced
• Lotus Esprit (1976–2004)
• Matra Djet (1962–1968) 1,692 produced
• Matra M530 (1967–1972) 9,609 produced
• Matra Bagheera (1973–1980) 47,802 produced
• Maserati Bora (1971–1980)
• Maserati Merak (1974–1982)
• Porsche 914 (1969) 118,000 produced

De Tomaso Pantera, once owned by Elvis Presley The Pantera was a sports car produced by the de Tomaso company of Italy from 1971 through 1996. ... The Vallelunga was an extremely rare mid-engined sports car produced by De Tomaso from 1965 through 1967. ... Berlinetta Boxer is the name for a series of cars produced by Ferrari in Italy between 1973 and 1984. ... Dino was a brand for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1976. ... The Ferrari 308 GTB (and similar 208 and later 328) were mid-engined sports cars that made up the lower end of the companys range. ... The Ferrari 308 GT4 and 208 GT4 were mid-engined V8-powered 2+2 cars. ... The FIAT X1/9 is a two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone and built by FIAT.[1] Production lasted from 1972 to 1989 with the first official right-hand drive variant arriving in 1976. ... GT40 Mk II front. ... Lamborghini Countach from the top. ... A Lamborghini Miura S. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lamborghini Miura Miuras in Los Angeles. ... Lamborghini Urraco was a sports car manifactured by Italian automaker Lamborghini in the 1970s. ... The Lancia Monte Carlo was a mid-engined sports car sold in the 1970s. ... Lotus Europa (S2 Federal) The Lotus Europa, built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975, was among the first production road cars to feature a mid-engine rear wheel drive design. ... The Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus from 1976 to 2004. ... Matra Bonnet Djet V Matra Bonnet Djet dashboard Matra Bonnet Djet V rear Matra Sports Jet 6 front Matra Sports Jet 6 rear The Matra Djet was a French sports car designed by René Bonnet and modified by Matra. ... The Matra 530 is a sports car created and built by the French engineering group Matra. ... The Matra Bagheera is a sports car created by the French engineering group Matra in cooperation with the automaker Simca. ... The Maserati Bora is a Maserati two-seater coupe powered by a V8 engine. ... The Maserati Merak, introduced in 1974, was essentially a junior version of the Maserati Bora. ... The Porsche 914 was a sports car built and sold collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 through 1976. ...

1980s to 1990s

• Ferrari 328
• Ferrari 348
• Ferrari F355
• Ferrari 360
• Ferrari Mondial
• Honda Acty
• Honda Beat
• Honda NSX (AKA Acura NSX in North America)
• Lamborghini Diablo
• Matra Murena
• Mazda Autozam AZ-1
• MG F
• Pontiac Fiero
• Porsche Boxster
• Renault 5 Turbo
• Toyota MR2
• Toyota Previa

The Ferrari 308 GTB (and similar 208 and later 328) were mid-engined sports cars that made up the lower end of the companys range. ... The Ferrari 348 is a mid-engined V8-powered 2-seat sports car. ... The Ferrari F355 is a sports car built by Ferrari from May 1994 to 1999. ... Ferrari 360 was the name given to three models of Ferrari cars: the Ferrari 360 Modena, an enclosed two-door coupe; the Ferrari 360 Spider, a two-door convertible; and the Ferrari Challenge Stradale, the bare-bones version of the 360 Modena. ... The Ferrari Mondial is a 2+2 coupe automobile produced from 1980 through 1993. ... The Honda Acty is a series of pickup trucks and minivans from Honda, made for the Japanese market. ... The Honda Beat is a mid-engined two-seat convertible kei car produced from in May 1991 to February 1996. ... The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America and Hong Kong) is a sports car produced between 1990 and 2005 by the Japanese automaker Honda. ... A 1991-2001 Honda NSX A 2002 Honda NSX The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America) is a sports car automobile made by Honda. ... The Lamborghini Diablo was a high-performance supercar built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. ... Talbot Matra Murena Talbot Matra Murena The Matra Murena was a 3-seat sports car produced from 1979 through 1983. ... The Autozam AZ-1 was Mazdas most important keicar since the Mazda R360. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Old Pontiac Fiero Base model Fiero gauge cluster The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engined sports car that was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1984 to 1988. ... The Porsche Boxster is a convertible sports car released in late 1996. ... The Renault 5 Turbo or R5 Turbo was a high-performance coupé automobile produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the early 1980s. ... The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car produced by Toyota from 1984 until July 2007 when production stops in Japan, in three different design series. ... The Toyota Previa, also known as the Toyota Estima (エスティマ) in Japan and the Toyota Tarago in Australia, is an MPV or multi-purpose vehicle (known as a minivan in North America) produced by Toyota Motor Corporation since 1990. ...

2000s

• Clio V6 Renault Sport
• Ferrari 360
• Ferrari F430
• Honda NSX (AKA Acura NSX in North America)
• Lotus Elise
• Lamborghini Gallardo
• Mitsubishi i
• Opel Speedster
• Porsche Boxster
• Porsche Cayman
• Toyota MR-S (AKA Toyota MR2 Spyder in North America)
• Westfield XTR2
• Westfield XTR4

The Renault Sport Clio V6 is a Hot Hatch designed and built by French manufacturer Renault. ... Ferrari 360 was the name given to three models of Ferrari cars: the Ferrari 360 Modena, an enclosed two-door coupe; the Ferrari 360 Spider, a two-door convertible; and the Ferrari Challenge Stradale, the bare-bones version of the 360 Modena. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America and Hong Kong) is a sports car produced between 1990 and 2005 by the Japanese automaker Honda. ... A 1991-2001 Honda NSX A 2002 Honda NSX The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America) is a sports car automobile made by Honda. ... The Lotus Elise is a roadster conceived in early 1994 and released in September 1996 by the English manufacturer Lotus Cars. ... Template:Trivia=june2007 Lamborghini Gallardo coupe The Lamborghini Gallardo (IPA: /ɡɑːˈjɑːɹ.dəʊ/)[1] is the Italian supercar maker Lamborghinis entry-level supercar, sitting beneath the Murciélago. ... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Vauxhall VX220. ... The Porsche Boxster is a convertible sports car released in late 1996. ... The Porsche Cayman is a mid-engine 2-seat sports car launched in the 2006 model year. ... Second-generation Toyota MR2 Turbo Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Toyota MR2 The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sportscar produced by Toyota from 1984 to 2005. ... The Westfield XTR2 is an ultralightweight, two-seater sports car manufactured by Westfield Sportscars Limited, of West Midlands, UK. It features a lightweight steel tubular spaceframe chassis, and the 170 horsepower, 1299cc Suzuki Hayabusa 4 cylinder engine, mated to a 6-speed sequential gearbox. ...

Supercars

• Enzo Ferrari
• Ferrari 288 GTO
• Ferrari F40
• Ferrari F50
• Ferrari FXX
• Ford GT
• Honda NSX Type-R
• Jaguar XJ220
• Koenigsegg CCX
• Lamborghini Murciélago
• Lotus Exige S
• Maserati MC12
• McLaren F1
• Pagani Zonda
• Porsche 911 GT1 (Road Version)
• Porsche Carrera GT
• Saleen S7
• Spyker C8

Supercar is a term used for a high end sports car, typically an exotic or rare one, whose performance is highly superior to that of its contemporaries. ... The Enzo Ferrari is a 12-cylinder Ferrari supercar named after the companys founder, Enzo Ferrari. ... The Ferrari GTO (often referred to as Ferrari 288 GTO) was an exotic homologation (thus the O) of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced in 1984 through 1986. ... “F40” redirects here. ... The Ferrari F50 is a high-performance supercar made by Ferrari. ... The Ferrari FXX is a car developed as part of an unusual development program by automobile manufacturer Ferrari in Maranello, Italy. ... This page refers to the concept and production cars of 2002 and later; for the mid-1960s race car, see Ford GT40. ... The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America and Hong Kong) is a sports car produced between 1990 and 2005 by the Japanese automaker Honda. ... The Jaguar XJ220 was a supercar produced by Fords Jaguar luxury marque in collaboration with Tom Walkinshaw Racing as Jaguar Sport between 1992 and 1994. ... The Koenigsegg CCX is the second latest supercar from Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg, now superseded by the Koenigsegg CCXR. CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X. The X commemorates the 10th anniversary of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996. ... Lamborghini Murciélago coupé Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 on display Lamborghini V12 engine, with the Murciélago roadster in the background The Lamborghini Murciélago is a supercar produced by a Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p. ... UK-spec Lotus Exige The Lotus Exige (pronounced: ex-seej) is a two-door, two-seat sports car made by Lotus Cars. ... The Maserati MC12 is a grand tourer and halo vehicle produced by Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. ... The McLaren F1 was the fastest street legal car in the world of its time(its the Bugatti Veyron at present). ... The Pagani Zonda is a supercar produced by Italian car manufacturer Pagani. ... The Porsche 911 GT1 was a racing car designed for competition in the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and sold as a road car for homologation purposes. ... The Porsche Carrera GT was a supercar manufactured by Porsche in Germany. ... The Saleen S7 is a supercar developed jointly by Saleen, Inc. ... 2006 Spyker C8 The Spyker C8 is a supercar produced by the Dutch automaker Spyker Cars. ...

References

• wspr-racing.com/wspr/results/canam/nf_canam_home.html
• www.indycar.com/multimedia/photos/galleries.php
• www.ddavid.com/formula1/rcg.htm
• www.chaparralcars.com
• www.racingsportscars.com/photo_lemans.html
• Porsche Spyder MR detail www.spyderclub.com/articles/spyder_history/spyder_history.htm
• http://www.forix.com/8w/rear-engines-prewar.html
• NSX-R Article at Autozine [1]