In automotive design, a FR, or front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is one where the

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

is located at the front of the vehicle and driven wheels are located at the rear via a drive shaft. This was the traditional automobile layout for most of the 20th century. Modern designs commonly use the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (FF). It is also used in high-floor buses and

school buses A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bu ...

Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout

In automotive design, a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (FMR) is one that places the

in the front, with the rear wheels of vehicle being driven. In contrast to the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (FR), the engine is pushed back far enough that its center of mass is to the rear of the front axle. This aids in weight distribution and reduces the moment of inertia, improving the vehicle's

handling Handling may refer to: * Automobile handling, the turning characteristics of land vehicles * Handling of stolen goods, a statutory offence in England and Wales and Northern Ireland People * Adam Handling (born 1988), British chef and restaura ...

. The mechanical layout of an FMR is substantially the same as an FR car. Some models of the same vehicle can be classified as either FR or FMR depending on the length of the installed engine (e.g. 4-cylinder vs. 6-cylinder) and its centre of mass in relation to the front axle.

Characteristics

* 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. Grand tourers often have FMR layouts, as a rear engine would not leave much space for the rear seats. * FMR should also not be confused with a "front midships" location of the engine, referring to the engine being located fully behind the front axle centerline, in which case a car meeting the above FMR center of mass definition could be classified as a FR layout instead. The V35 Nissan Skyline / Infiniti G35 / Nissan 350Z are FR cars. * FMR layout came standard in most pre–World War II, front-engine / rear-wheel-drive cars. File:GMLT5.JPG, All

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctive ...

from the second generation (model year 1963) through the seventh generation (model year 2019) are FMR layouts as seen in the engine bay of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. File:Honda F22C Engine.JPG, The Honda S2000 engine sits clearly behind the top of the shock towers. File:Morgan 4 4 - Flickr - Alexandre Prévot (1).jpg, The Morgan +4 and 4/4 are classic "front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layouts". File:Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren engine.jpg, The engine bay of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. File:2006 Maserati Quattroporte - Flickr - The Car Spy (4).jpg, The 4.2-litre V8 in the Maserati Quattroporte V has FMR layout. File:Dodge Viper Motorraum.JPG, Dodge Viper showing its 8.4l V10 positioned behind the car’s front axle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Front-Engine, Rear-Wheel Drive Layout Car layouts

Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout

Characteristics

See also

References