Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
{{Short description|Automobile layout}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{original research|date=January 2023}}
{{more references|date=January 2023}}
{{Single source|date=April 2019}}
}}
File:Automotive diagrams 01 En.png
A front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (FR), also called Système Panhard{{cite web |title=The Nostalgia of Forgotten Gods: Panhard & Levassor, France, 1886-1967 |url=https://roarington.com/media-house/stories/the-nostalgia-of-forgotten-gods-panhard-and-levassor-france-1886-1967 |website=Roarington |access-date=26 August 2024 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=History of the 1899 Panhard |url=https://teampanhard.org/history-of-the-1899-panhard.html |website=teampanhard.org |access-date=28 January 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Patrick |first1=Sean |title=Theme: Benchmarks – Le Système Panhard |url=https://driventowrite.com/2015/03/24/la-systeme-panhard/ |website=Driven to Write |access-date=28 January 2025 |date=24 March 2015}} is a powertrain layout with an engine in front and rear-wheel-drive, connected via a drive shaft. This arrangement, with the engine straddling the front axle, was the traditional automobile layout for most of the pre-1950s automotive mechanical projects.{{cite web|url=http://www.sae.org/technical/papers/2006-01-1339|title=Development of a New Hybrid Transmission for RWD Car|publisher=www.sae.org|access-date=2008-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207074723/http://www.sae.org/technical/papers/2006-01-1339|archive-date=2009-02-07|url-status=dead}} It is also used in trucks, pickups, and high-floor buses and school buses.
{{anchor|FMR layout|FMR}}Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
[[File:Automotive diagrams 03 En.png|thumb|upright=1.25|FMR
layout, the engine is located behind the front axle]]
A front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (FMR) places the engine in the front half of the vehicle but behind the front axle, which likewise drives the rear wheels via a driveshaft. Shifting the engine's center of mass rearward aids in front/rear weight distribution and reduces the moment of inertia, both of which improve a vehicle's handling.{{citation needed span|While the mechanical layout of an FMR is substantially the same as an FR car, the classification of some models of the same vehicle may vary as either FR or FMR depending on the length of the engine (e.g. 4-cylinder vs. 6-cylinder) and its center of mass in relation to the front axle.|reason=It is a boldface potentially contentious claim without any support.|date=January 2023}}
FMR cars are often characterized by a long hood and front wheels that are pushed forward to the corners of the vehicle, close to the front bumper. 2+2-style grand tourers often have FMR layouts, as a rear engine does not leave much space for rear seats.
Gallery
File:1968 AMC AMX yellow 390 auto md-er.jpg|The 390 cid V8 engine in a FR 1968 AMC AMX functionally straddles its front axle, with the centerline of the shock towers basically bisecting the center of the air cleaner
E-Type Jag 4.2-litre engine 2022.jpg|The straight-6 DOHC XK engine clearly sits behind the front axle of an FMR Jaguar E-Type
GMLT5.JPG|All Chevrolet Corvette from the second through the seventh generation are FMR. Only ancillary aspects of this Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1's engine may lie above the front axle.
Dodge Viper Motorraum.JPG|An FMR Dodge Viper showing its 8.4 L V10 positioned behind the car’s front axle
F_599_007.JPG|The F140 C V12 engine sitting behind the Ferrari 599's front axle.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{Automobile configuration}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Front-Engine, Rear-Wheel Drive Layout}}