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36-521: The all-new Firenza was introduced in March 1982, as a replacement for the departed rear-wheel drive Starfire . Initially available as a two-door hatchback and four-door sedan , the lineup was expanded to include a 4-door "Cruiser" wagon in 1983, and a two-door notchback coupe in 1986. The name "Cruiser" was applied to all Oldsmobile station wagons at the time; this included the mid-sized Cutlass Cruiser and full-size Custom Cruiser . The Firenza

72-573: A badge engineered , variant of the GM J-car platform, the Firenza received its own front and rear-end styling. The upper portion of the Firenza front end featured quad rectangular headlights separated by signal lights in recessed housings, with a sloped body-color panel between the headlights. The dashboard unit was shared with the Buick Skyhawk. A horizontal-barred grille was mounted in

108-533: A "T" arrangement with a longitudinal engine connected to a transverse transaxle. Front-wheel-drive versions of modern Audis , from the A4 upwards, along with their related marques from the Volkswagen Group (which share the same automobile layout ) also use a similar layout, but with the transaxle also mounted longitudinally. The front-wheel-drive Renault 16 had a longitudinal engine and transaxle, with

144-477: A front-engine drives a rear-mounted transaxle. This is generally done for reasons of weight distribution and is therefore common on sports cars . Another advantage is that since the driveshaft spins at engine speed, it only has to endure the torque of the engine instead of the torque multiplied by the 1st gear ratio . This design was pioneered in the 1934 Škoda Popular , and then in the 1950 Lancia Aurelia , designed by Vittorio Jano . Since this placement of

180-599: A lineup mostly or entirely made up of FR cars. Japanese mainstream marques such as Toyota were almost exclusively FR until the late 1970s and early 1980s. Toyota's first FF vehicle was the Toyota Tercel, with the Corolla and Celica later becoming FF while the Camry was designed as an FF from the beginning. The Supra, Cressida, Crown , and Century remained FR. Luxury division Lexus has a mostly FR lineup. Subaru's BRZ

216-612: A single unnamed base model that could be equipped with six various option packages. Sales of the Cavalier and Sunbird annually dwarfed the Firenza. Due to this, the Firenza was not replaced in Oldsmobile's lineup, leaving the Cutlass Calais as the division's smallest car. The Cimarron was discontinued that year as well. Leeds Assembly , which built the Firenza, was closed. The Skyhawk lasted another year, while GM kept

252-519: A top speed of 109mph (175 km/h), doing the 1/4 mile (402m) in 17.3 seconds. Interesting note; The "GT" was used on the Calais and Ciera in 1987, replacing the "ES" (EuroSport) designation the previous two years, 1984-1985. The Firenza ES (EuroSport) sedan was introduced in Canada for 1984, and the U.S. in 1985. Not much is known of this offering, it had blacked out headlight bezels and blacked out trim on

288-627: A transverse front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive layout. In Australia, FR cars remained popular throughout this period, with the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon having consistently strong sales until their discontinuation in the late 2010s. In Europe, front-wheel drive was popularized by small cars like the Mini , Renault 5 and Volkswagen Golf and adopted for all mainstream cars. Upscale marques like Mercedes-Benz , BMW , and Jaguar remained mostly independent of this trend and retained

324-597: Is an FR car. The fact that a driveshaft is needed to transfer power to the rear wheels means a large centre tunnel between the rear seats; therefore, cars such as the Mazda RX8 and the Porsche Panamera forgo a centre rear seat and divide both seats by a centre tunnel. In the 21st century, most cars are FF, including all front-engined economy cars, though FR cars are making a return as an alternative to large sport-utility vehicles. In North America, GM returned to

360-677: The 300 and Charger on a FR platform. They also maintain FR layout on the now unibody Grand Cherokee and Durango . Hyundai and Kia have also been working with new FR-based vehicles in the US, the Genesis Coupe and Sedan, the Equus and the new Kia Quoris . Ford, on the other hand, seems to be moving away from FR-based vehicles with the discontinuation of the Panther Platform in 2011 and

396-663: The Corvette , Firebird and Camaro . Ford's Mustang has stayed rear-wheel drive, as it must maintain a sporty presence, as were Ford's full-size cars based on the Ford Panther platform (the Ford Crown Victoria , Mercury Grand Marquis , and Lincoln Town Car ) until they were discontinued in 2011 in favour of the Ford Taurus, which Ford discontinued production in 2019, being formally available with either

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432-477: The Volkswagen Group which share the same layout , utilise a transaxle. This is mounted immediately behind the front-mounted engine (again, longitudinally) and contains the 'gearbox' (manual, automatic, DSG , or CVT ), along with both the centre differential , and the front differential and final drive unit. The Nissan GT-R and Ferrari FF (and its successors) are unusual in being all-wheel-drive cars with front-engined layouts and rear-mounted transaxles. In

468-508: The "new" 1.8-liter overhead cam motor, with either a three-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. FE3 suspension was included in the package with a rear-stabilizer bar, heavier struts all the way around, and a wider 205/60 tire offering on the 14" polycast wheels as standard for the GT package. 1984; red/silver carried over plus white with silver lower body color was added. 2312 GTs were produced, less than 20% were white. Engines either were

504-626: The 1970s. After the Arab oil embargo of 1973 and the 1979 fuel crises , a majority of American FR vehicles (station wagons and luxury sedans) were phased out for the front-engine, front-wheel drive (FF) layout – this trend would spawn the SUV-van conversion market. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most American companies set as a priority the eventual removal of rear-wheel drive from their mainstream and luxury lineup. Chrysler went 100% FF by 1990 and GM 's American production went entirely FF by 1997 except

540-409: The 1997 to 2019 model years, do not feature an integrated transaxle, where the transmission, axle and differential are combined into a single assembly. These years actually featured a rear-mounted transmission, which was a stand-alone unit bolted directly to the differential. While many, including General Motors, refer to this configuration as a transaxle, the first Corvette with an integrated transaxle

576-402: The 2.0-liter (four-speed manual or three-speed auto) or the 1.8-liter (five-speed manual or three-speed auto). For 1985, 498 GTs were built, body colors were changed to either black or gray with silver trim (not as pronounced as with the 1983-84s.) A fiberglass hood with a pronounced center bulge was included, the 2.8-liter V6 was offered with only the four-speed manual or the three-speed auto,

612-542: The Australasia-only Falcon in 2016. Excluding trucks, vans, and SUVs, the Mustang is the only FR vehicle remaining in their lineup. With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles , RWD layouts have become more common again, as the packaging advantages of FWD layouts do not apply to these vehicles, whereas the generally more powerful drivetrains benefit from the better traction during acceleration of

648-574: The GT package. For the Firenza's last model year in 1988, it received a conventional horizontal bar grille between new aerodynamic composite headlamps and new tail lights, styled similar to the Cutlass Ciera . Also for the Firenza's final year, the hatchback was dropped along with the V6, leaving just the four-cylinder notchback coupe, sedan, and wagon models. Also for 1988, all previous trim-level designations were dropped. All Firenza body styles came in

684-721: The RWD layout. Modern electronic stability control largely negate the potentially more difficult handling during challenging circumstances. Some examples of electric models utilizing a RWD layout are the single motor variants of the Tesla Model 3 , Volkswagen ID.4 and Kia EV6 . Transaxle A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission , axle , and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions. Transaxles are nearly universal in all automobile configurations that have

720-419: The engine at the front of the car and the transmission at the rear of the car, in order to provide a more balanced weight distribution. This configuration is often referred to as a transaxle since the transmission and axle are one unit. Many of the cars built in the 19th century were rear-wheel drive, often with the engine mounted at the rear of the car. The first rear-wheel drive car with the engine mounted at

756-420: The engine behind the transaxle. The transaxle case was designed to allow the final-drive ring gear to be on either side of the pinion; this allowed the engine-transaxle assembly to be used in the rear-wheel-drive Lotus Europa , which had the engine in front of the transaxle (i.e., mid-engined ). Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles tend to have the transmission up front just after the engine, but sometimes

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792-586: The engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles feature a longitudinally-mounted engine at the front of the car. The most common layout for a rear-wheel drive car is with the engine and transmission at the front of the car, mounted longitudinally. Other layouts of rear-wheel drive cars include front-mid engine, rear-mid engine, and rear-engine. Some manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Porsche (944, 924, 928) and Chevrolet (C5, C6, and C7 Corvettes), place

828-399: The engine placed at the same end of the car as the driven wheels: the front-engine/front-wheel-drive ; rear-engine/rear-wheel-drive ; and mid-engine/rear-wheel-drive arrangements. Many mid- and rear-engined vehicles use a transverse engine and transaxle, similar to a front-wheel-drive unit. Others use a longitudinal engine and transaxle like Ferrari 's 1989 Mondial t which used

864-706: The first-generation Sunbird and Cavalier in production until 1994. The Firenza GT was only available on the S Coupe hatchback, unlike the Chevy Cavalier Z24, Buick Skyhawk T-Type, and Pontiac Sunbird GT, which could be had as either two-door hatchbacks, two-door and four-door sedans. Four door hatchbacks of the J-platform were offered in Europe. GTs first were introduced in 1983, 65 were built; red with silver lower panel accent color, sold as "Brass Hat" promotional cars for dealerships, most were equipped with

900-418: The front was an 1895 Panhard model, so this layout was known as the "Système Panhard" in the early years. The layout has the advantage of minimizing mechanical complexity, as it allows the transmission to be placed in-line with the engine output shaft, spreading weight under the vehicle. In comparison, a vehicle with the engine over the driven wheels eliminates the need for the drive shaft (replacing this with

936-538: The gearbox is unsuitable for a live axle (due to excessive unsprung mass ), the rear suspension is either independent , or uses a de Dion tube (notably in Alfa Romeos ). Rare exceptions to this rule were the Bugatti T46 and T50 which had a three speed gearbox on a live axle. Notable front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles with a transaxle design include: Note: The C5, C6 and C7 Corvettes, produced in

972-439: The heavier five-speed manual transmission that was on the 1.8-liter offering three years previous, along with the three-speed auto. The LB6 2.8-liter V6, 5-speed Getrag manual equipped 1987 Firenza GT performed 0-60mph in 8.6 seconds (0-100 km/h 9.1 seconds), with a top speed of 124mph (200km/h), doing the 1/4 mile (402m) drag in 16.6 seconds. The 3-speed automatic equipped GT did 0-60mph in 9.6 seconds (0-100 km/h 10.2 seconds), with

1008-437: The lower portion of the front fascia . The rear featured nearly square taillights with a slight wraparound at the outboard ends of the upper rear panel. The suspension was shared with the front-wheel-drive Omega and Cutlass Ciera, which consisted of MacPherson struts, lower control arms, coil springs and a stabilizer bar for the front, and a torsion-beam rear axle, along with coil springs and rear stabilizer bars. The Firenza

1044-447: The most appropriate speed for the wheels. As power is the product of torque and angular velocity, spinning the shaft faster for any given power reduces the torque and allows a lighter shaft construction. In an era when petrol was cheap and cars were heavy, the mechanical advantages of the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (FR) drivetrain layout made up for any disadvantage in weight terms. It remained almost universal among car designs until

1080-774: The production of FR-based luxury vehicles with the 2003 Cadillac CTS . As of 2012, all but the SRX and XTS are FR-based vehicles. Chevrolet reintroduced the FR-based Camaro in 2009, and the Caprice PPV in 2011. Pontiac also had a short run with the FR-based G8 and Pontiac Solstice . A Chevrolet replacement for the G8 called the Chevrolet SS was released in 2013 and uses the FR layout. Chrysler and Dodge reintroduced

1116-484: The tail lights, the interior upholstery used the same two color gray combo and red piping as with all the GTs. This was offered as a four-door GT trim, with the same polycast wheels, heavier suspension, used on the 1983 and 1984 GT hatchbacks. They were only offered in a dark-silver body color. Rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive ( RWD ) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which

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1152-431: The transaxle of lighter combined weight), but has the disadvantage of concentrating all the weight in one location. In order to reduce the relative weight of the drive shaft, the transmission was normally split into two parts: the gearbox and the final drive. The gearbox was normally produced with its highest gear being 1:1, which offers some mechanical advantages. The final drive, in the rear axle, would then reduce this to

1188-418: The wheels were changed to aluminum from the previous polycast wheel, this was to be the same for 1986 GT. 1986 was the only year the GT as its own separate trim level (with 1032 built), and the body color red became available again with silver accent. For 1987, the GT model (of 783 built), went back to an option on the hatchback and was the last year offered, essentially same as 1986, but added the availability of

1224-406: Was launched with a 2.0-liter OHV inline four-cylinder engine as the sole powerplant, but an overhead-cam 1.8-liter engine was added during the model year. Oldsmobile did not utilize turbo on these engines, while Buick and Pontiac offered a turbo. Wraparound amber turn signal lights were added immediately outboard of the headlights for 1984. In 1985, the 2.8 L LB6 V6 was added as an option with

1260-462: Was positioned as Oldsmobile's entry-level compact car, priced below the slightly larger Omega and later Calais/Cutlass Calais . Despite this, the Firenza could be equipped with premium options such as power windows, power locks, and 14-inch alloy wheels. The 1982 Firenza LX sedan was listed for $ 8,080 ($ 25,511 in 2023 dollars ). It is named for the Italian translation of the city of Florence . As

1296-417: Was produced in the eighth generation Corvette, which was released in the 2020 model year. Volkswagen and later Porsche made extensive use of transaxles in their rear (and mid) engined vehicles. Over the years, models adopting this configuration have included: All Audi cars with longitudinal engines and their 'trademark' quattro four-wheel-drive (4WD) system, along with their related marques from

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