automotive design Automotive design is the process of developing the appearance (and to some extent the ergonomics) of motor vehicles, including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. The functional design and development of a modern mot ...

, an R4, or rear-engine, four-wheel-drive layout places 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 ge ...

at the rear of the vehicle, and drives all four roadwheels. This layout is typically chosen to improve the traction or the handling of existing vehicle designs using the

rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout In automotive design, an RR, or rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. In contrast to the RMR layout, the center of mass of the engine is between the rear axle and the rear bum ...

(RR). The R4 layout is very rare, only having been used on a small number of production vehicles. Notable vehicles with this layout include several high-performance

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

s, including the 959, the 911 Turbo since the introduction of the

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

version of the 993 series in 1995, and the 911 Carrera 4 introduced with the 964 series in 1989. Some Volkswagen Kübelwagen (the rear-engined

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

-based

military vehicle A military vehicle is any vehicle for land-based military transport and activity, including combat vehicles, both specifically designed for or significantly used by military. Most military vehicles require Off-road vehicle, off-road capabilities ...

used by Germany in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

) variants were produced with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive, including the Type 86, Type 87, Type 98. Also, some Vanagons/Microbuses came in 4WD Syncro version.

Examples

File:Porsche 959 – Frontansicht (3), 21. März 2013, Düsseldorf.jpg, Porsche 959, rear-engine, four-wheel-drive, top speed of 197 mph to 211 mph File:White Porsche 993 turbo coupé.jpg , Porsche 993 Turbo File:Porsche 911 (964) Turbo (10317085456).jpg, Porsche 964 File:Porsche_911_992_Dakar_(53048665743).jpg, Porsche 911 Dakar File:Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4 WD.jpg, Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4WD truck File:VW T3 Caravelle syncro 1984-1992 fromtleft 2008-08-16 U.jpg, Volkswagen Syncro 4WD Van File:VW T3 syncro Bernemer Kerb Festzug Aufstellung 13082011.JPG, Volkswagen Syncro 4WD File:1991 Volkswagen T3 der Gendarmerie grand-ducale - Vintage Cars & Bikes Steinfort.jpg, Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4WD File:1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro (Typ 2 - T3) (4811871813).jpg, 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro File:1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro (Typ 2 - T3) (4812495500).jpg, 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro File:VW T3 Tristar Syncro (1990) (35972842771).jpg, Volkswagen T3 Tristar Syncro (1990) File:VW Kuebelwagen 1.jpg, WW2 Volkswagen Kübelwagen

References

* * Taylor, Blaine (2004). ''Volkswagen Military Vehicles of the Third Reich''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. . .
Road Trippers, Syncro

External links

Porsche - 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupé, Cabriolet, Targa, Speedster, and 4 Coupé

Porsche - 1989 Porsche Turbo 911 Coupé, Cabriolet, and Targa

Information on and about Porsche 993

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 (Generation 993) Exterior and Interior in Full HD 3D
- YouTube
Syncro -Driving Americas with VW Westfalia 4x4 Extreme Adventure
- YouTube Four-wheel drive layout {{automotive-tech-stub