Mid-engine chassis configuration

The engine is located in the center of the chassis directly behind the passenger compartment (normally these are only 2-seater vehicles) but ahead of the center line of the rear wheels. In most cases, the fuel tank is directly in front of the passengers. This provides much better weight distribution and handling. There are three basic chassis configurations used today. The front engine configuration with the engine in the front, the passenger compartment in the middle and the trunk in the back. There are rear-engineered cars (like the Volkswagen Bug and the Porsche 911) where the trunk is in the front, the passengers are in the middle and the engine is in the back, behind the center line. And the mid-engine configuration described above. See mid-engine.