Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout

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A front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (FR), also called Système Panhard<ref name="R-MH">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is also used in trucks, pickups, and high-floor buses and school buses.

Template:AnchorFront mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout

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.Template:Citation needed span

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

1940 Oldsmobile chassis showing a typical front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
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
The straight-6 DOHC XK engine clearly sits behind the front axle of an FMR Jaguar E-Type
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.
An FMR Dodge Viper showing its 8.4 L V10 positioned behind the car’s front axle