In automotive design , an RMR , or rear mid-engine , rear-wheel-drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed with its center of gravity in front of the rear axle, and thus right behind the passenger compartment. Nowadays more frequently called 'RMR', to acknowledge that certain sporty or performance focused front-engined cars are also "mid-engined", by having the main engine mass behind the front axle, RMR layout cars were previously (until ca. the 1990) just called MR , or mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout ), because the nuance between distinctly front-engined vs. front mid-engined cars often remained undiscussed.
47-427: The Maserati Bora (Tipo AM117) is a two-seat, rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car and grand tourer , manufactured by Maserati from 1971 to 1978. In common with other Maserati cars of the era, it is named after a wind, Bora being the wind of Trieste . The Bora was the company's first mid-engined street car and ended Maserati's reputation for producing fast but technologically out of date cars, also being
94-611: A carpeted aluminium engine cap, greatly decreasing the powertrain's transmission of noise, harshness and vibration to the cabin, and increasing the comfort level for the driver. The engine and five-speed ZF transaxle were mounted on a subframe attached to the floor pan via four flexible mounts, which also helped the ride quality. The original engine is a high-revving 4,719 cc (4.7 L; 288.0 cu in) producing 310 PS (228 kW; 306 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 461 N⋅m (340 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,200 rpm. The US-bound Bora had larger 4.9-litre engine from
141-403: A diverse range of vehicles and machinery, including cars, trucks, buses, light commercial vehicles , off-road equipment, rail vehicles , helicopters, motorcycles, lift trucks, machinery and system construction, test systems, cranes, as well as special marine, military and agricultural vehicles and equipment. The ZF Lenksysteme division, a joint venture between ZF and Bosch , specializes in
188-500: A few times at Indianapolis between 1939 and 1947. In 1953 Porsche premiered the tiny and altogether new RMR 550 Spyder and in a year it was notoriously winning in the smaller sports and endurance race car classes against much larger cars – a sign of greater things to come. The 718 followed similarly in 1958. But it was not until the late 1950s that RMR reappeared in Grand Prix (today's " Formula One ") races in
235-502: A joint venture with Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co., manufactures driveline components for construction machinery. ZF's presence in India includes joint ventures and license partnerships spanning over three decades. ZF India Private Ltd., operational since 2007 in Pune, focuses on axles, off-road driveline technology, and commercial vehicle technology. The facility includes factory buildings,
282-443: A lower tendency to understeer . However, since there is less weight over the front wheels, under acceleration the front of the car can be prone to lift and still have understeer . Most rear-engine layouts have historically been used in smaller vehicles, because the weight of the engine at the rear has an adverse effect on a larger car's handling, making it 'tail-heavy', although this effect is more pronounced with engines mounted behind
329-422: A number of innovative features that distinguished the car both from previous Maserati's, as well as other leading brand supercars . Compared to those, it was civilized and practical, featuring a hydraulically powered pedal cluster that could be moved forward and backwards at the touch of a button and a steering wheel that could be tilted as well as telescoped , addressing the familiar problem of entering and exiting
376-651: A partnership with Aeva Inc. to put LIDAR sensors for self-driving vehicles, into production. Some of the most important milestones: ZF Friedrichshafen manufactures automatic and manual transmissions for cars, trucks, buses and construction equipment; chassis components (ball joints, tie rods, cross-axis joints, stabiliser bars, control arms); shock absorbers and suspension struts; electronic damping systems including Continuous Damping Control (CDC), Active Roll Stabilization (ARS); clutches; torque converters ; differentials ; axle drives; and industrial drives. ZF products include ZF components are utilized across
423-457: A rectangular black air-exit grille was added across the hood (similar to Pantera). Production ran from 1971 to 1978, with 564 cars built, 289 of which were 4.7s and the remaining 275 being 4.9s. The Bora provided the basis for the Merak , which used the same bodyshell front clip but in a 2+2 configuration, made possible by using a smaller, lighter and less powerful Maserati V6 engine , also used in
470-732: A standalone entity, ZF Lifetec, focusing on vehicle safety tests and equipment. ZF Group operates globally, with Europe as its primary market, followed by the Asia-Pacific region, North and South America and Middle East & Africa. The company maintains six research and development (R&D) centers worldwide to tailor product development to local markets, investing approximately 5% of its sales revenue annually in R&;D. In Great Britain , ZF has been active since 1973. The manufacturing base in Darlaston supplies chassis components to
517-713: Is also involved in the rail, marine, defense and aviation industries, as well as general industrial applications. ZF has 162 production locations in 31 countries with approximately 168,700 (2023) employees. The company was founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin , the inventor of the zeppelin airship and engineer Alfred von Soden-Fraunhofen in 1915 in Friedrichshafen , Germany as a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin , to manufacture gears for zeppelins and other airships . The German Zahnradfabrik translates to 'gear factory' or cogwheel factory' in English. In 1999,
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#1732793132498564-531: Is desired, such as in some supercars and in the Group B rally cars. The 1900 NW Rennzweier was one of the first race cars with mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Other known historical examples include the 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen . It was based on an earlier design named the Rumpler Tropfenwagen in 1921 made by Edmund von Rumpler , an Austrian engineer working at Daimler. The Benz Tropfenwagen
611-471: Is headquartered in Friedrichshafen , in the south-west German state of Baden-Württemberg . Specializing in engineering, it is primarily known for its design, research and development, and manufacturing activities in the automotive industry and is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. Its products include driveline and chassis technology for cars and commercial vehicles, along with specialized plant equipment such as construction equipment. It
658-573: Is popularly believed that the Bora is heavier than the Ghibli ; however, the Ghibli weighs 1,650 kg (3,640 lb), some 115 kg (254 lb) more than the Bora. The reason for this misconception probably stems from the state of tune of their respective engines as well as the difference in the gearing of the two cars. A combined steel monocoque chassis and body featured a tubular steel subframe at
705-531: The Citroën SM . The Merak was popular, including the later modified and improved Merak SS which made its debut in 1981. Merak models had an opened rear engine-cover instead of the glass-enclosed and heavier cover of the Bora. Maserati developed two Group 4 racing cars at the request of Thepenier, a French Maserati dealer. They were tuned to produce 430 PS (316 kW; 424 hp) and were fully competitive, but Maserati couldn't produce enough cars to meet
752-1418: The Ecomat introduced in 1980, are widely used in buses. ZF Lemförder and ZF Sachs AG are specialized divisions within ZF, focusing on the production of both original equipment and aftermarket auto parts. ZF Friedrichshafen is organized into nine divisions, each focusing on different aspects of automotive and industrial technology: Sales (2020): €4,987 million. Products: Electronic Stability Control, Integrated Brake Control, Electric Park Brakes, Electrically Powered Steering Systems, and Electrically Powered Hydraulic Steering Systems. Sales (2020): €6,680 million. Products: Chassis components for wheel guidance, complete front and rear axles, passive and semi-active dampers, and electromechanical active chassis systems. Sales (2020): €8,459 million. Products: Automatic Transmissions, Automated Manual Transmissions, Manual Transmissions, Dual-Clutch Automatic Transmissions, Powertrain Modules, Electronic Systems, Electric Motors, Electric Vehicle Drives, and Electronic Interfaces. Sales (2020): €1,561 million. Products: Advanced driver assistance systems, sensor technologies, integrated electronics, advanced safety domain control units, safety electronics such as airbag electronic control units, and crash sensors for
799-730: The Isetta or the Zündapp Janus . The first rear mid-engined road car after WW II was the 1962 (Rene) Bonnet / Matra Djet , which used the 1108cc Renault Sierra engine, mated to the transaxle from the FWD Renault Estafette van. Nearly 1700 were built until 1967. This was followed by the first De Tomaso, the Vallelunga , which mated a tuned Ford Cortina 1500 Kent engine to a VW transaxle with Hewland gearsets. Introduced at Turin in 1963, 58 were built 1964–68. A similar car
846-694: The Miura and Mangusta , whilst Ferrari were known to be developing their own mid-engined contender. Initially known as Tipo 117 and later the Bora, the Maserati project got underway in October 1968 and a prototype was on the road by mid-1969. Shown in its final form at the Geneva Salon in March 1971, deliveries began before the end of the year. Maserati struggled after being bought by De Tomaso in 1975, and
893-464: The gearbox and differential . This represented an extremely innovative sportscar at a time when all of its competitors (aside from the rear-engined Porsches), from Ferraris to Aston Martins , were traditional front-engined, rear-wheel-drive grand tourers. The Pontiac Fiero was a mid-engined sports car that was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1984 to 1988. The Fiero
940-408: The 500 road car homologation rule for Group 4 racing so the project was shelved. The Bora was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign in the late 1960s, and came to market in 1971, sporting a drag coefficient of just 0.30,. a value that would still be called very aerodynamic, a decade later. Fabrication of the all-steel panels was contracted to Officine Padane of Modena . The Bora had
987-420: The Bora 4.9, although many sources give differing top speeds. Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout In contrast to the fully rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout , the center of mass of the engine is in front of the rear axle. This layout is typically chosen for its favorable weight distribution . Placing the car's heaviest component within the wheelbase minimizes its rotational inertia around
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#17327931324981034-427: The Bora was discontinued during 1978. 564 Boras were produced in total, of which 275 were fitted with 4.9-litre engines and the other 289 were fitted with 4.7-litre engines. The first Boras were delivered to customers in late 1971, and only minor production changes were gradually phased in thereafter. About early 1974, front lids became hinged at front instead of rear, pop-up headlights showed rounded inside corners, and
1081-881: The British automotive industry, including Jaguar, BMW, and Land Rover. ZF Great Britain Ltd. in Nottingham also has a remanufacturing facility and customer support operations. In the NAFTA region, ZF operates 16 locations, including an R&D center near Detroit and a manufacturing plant in Laurens County , South Carolina, which began production in 2013. ZF has a significant presence in Asia, focusing on China , Korea, Japan, and Australia. Liuzhou ZF Machinery Co., Ltd. in China,
1128-653: The Ghibli as to compensate for the reduced power due to the exhaust emission regulations. In 1976, Maserati switched to the larger 4.9-litre engine with a 8.75 to 1 compression ratio, rated at 330 PS (243 kW; 325 hp) at 5,500 rpm and 481 N⋅m (354 lb⋅ft) at 4,000 rpm for markets outside of the United States. Both engines trace their lineage back to the famous 450S racecar, were made of aluminium alloy and had hemispherical combustion chambers with 16 valves total operated by four cams (chain-driven). Both engines were mounted longitudinally in
1175-571: The US-bound Ghibli produced 280 hp (209 kW; 284 PS) at 6,000 rpm and 339 lb⋅ft (460 N⋅m) of torque at 4,200 rpm. From 1973 on, the engine was fitted with air pump as to decrease the exhaust emissions, and its output was increased to 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) at 6,000 rpm. Larger, beefier bumpers were fitted to the US-bound cars as to comply with bumper standards , though many Bora owners in
1222-460: The United States and Canada have subsequently replaced them with the smaller, thinner bumpers for European and international markets. The colour of turn signal indicators on the taillamps was changed from amber to red for the US and Canadian market. The original estimated weight was 1,400 kg (3,100 lb), however, noise and safety concerns increased the weight to 1,535 kg (3,384 lb). It
1269-1169: The automotive industry. Sales (2020): €3,503 million. Products: Airbags, airbag inflators, seat belt systems, and steering wheels. Sales (2020): €1,539 million. Products: Braking control systems and advanced technologies that enhance the safety, efficiency, and connectivity of commercial vehicles. Sales (2020): €3,307 million. Products: Automated, manual, and powershift transmissions, drive components such as clutches and electric drives, ADAS technology including automated, camera and radar-based comfort and safety functions for trucks and buses, chassis systems, chassis components, and steering systems for vehicles. Sales (2020): €2,687 million. Products: Transmissions and axles for agricultural and construction machinery, driveline technology for material handling systems, rail and special vehicles, marine propulsion systems, aviation technology, gearboxes for wind turbines and industrial applications, and test systems for driveline and chassis technology. Sales (2020): €2,522 million. Brands: ZF, LEMFÖRDER, SACHS, TRW, and BOGE. TRW Automotive, based in Livonia, Michigan ,
1316-411: The back for the engine and transmission. Bora also featured four-wheel independent suspension (a first for a Maserati passenger car) with coil springs, telescopic suspension dampers, and anti-roll bars. The development prototype and the similar show car first seen at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show featured the front suspension using MacPherson struts , but this was abandoned for the production version due to
1363-482: The cab right to the front of the vehicle, thus increasing the loading area at the expense of slightly reduced load depth. In modern racing cars, RMR is a common configuration and is usually synonymous with "mid-engine". Due to its weight distribution and the favorable vehicle dynamics it produces, this layout is heavily employed in open-wheel Formula racing cars (such as Formula One and IndyCar ) as well as most purpose-built sports racing cars . This configuration
1410-781: The combined effects of the loan and restructuring will eliminate the need for further employee reduction. On 16 September 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that ZF agreed to acquire TRW Automotive Holdings for $ 13.5 billion. The acquisition would create the world's second largest automotive parts concern, ranked just behind Robert Bosch GmbH . For clearing way to acquire TRW Automotive Holdings , ZF Friedrichshafen AG sold its stake in ZF Lenksysteme GmbH to Robert Bosch GmbH . ZF Lenksysteme GmbH has now been renamed as Robert Bosch Automotive Steering GmbH. In September 2020, ZF Friedrichshafen AG entered
1457-523: The earlier models. Tyres were Michelin XWX 205x70 front and rear, however these early cars exhibited problems with "tramlining" at speed. To solve this problem Maserati fitted later cars with 215/70VR15 tyres on the rear, with the choice of Michelin XWX or Pirelli Cinturato CN12 tyres. The official Maserati website quotes a top speed of 270 km/h (168 mph) for the Bora 4.7 and 285 km/h (177 mph) for
Maserati Bora - Misplaced Pages Continue
1504-416: The first Maserati with four wheel independent suspension . In contrast, competitor Lamborghini had first used full independent suspension in 1964. The Bora was the second-most expensive car of the 1970s following Lamborghini Countach. Shortly after Citroën took a controlling interest in Maserati in 1968, the concept of a mid-engined two-seat sports car was proposed. Lamborghini and De Tomaso already had
1551-698: The form of the Cooper - Climax (1957), soon followed by cars from BRM and Lotus . Ferrari and Porsche soon made Grand Prix RMR attempts with less initial success. The mid-engined layout was brought back to Indianapolis in 1961 by the Cooper Car Company with Jack Brabham running as high as third and finishing ninth. Cooper did not return, but from 1963 on British built mid-engined cars from constructors like Brabham , Lotus and Lola competed regularly and in 1965 Lotus won Indy with their Type 38 . Rear mid-engines were widely used in microcars like
1598-517: The middle of the car and were mated to a ZF-1 five-speed transaxle sending power to the rear wheels. They were fed by four 42 DCNF/14 downdraught Weber carburetors with Bosch electronic ignition. The compression ratio is 8.5:1. The most distinctive details of the Bora were the brushed stainless steel roof and windscreen pillars. Inside, the bucket seats, dash, door trim, centre console and rear bulkhead were trimmed in leather, with electric windows and air conditioning as standard. The steering column
1645-471: The production of steering systems and components. This includes steering columns, gears, pumps, Electric Power Steering (EPS), and Active Steering systems. In response to the increasing adoption of automatic transmissions in buses, ZF developed the ZF AS Tronic transmission. The company also produces a range of manual and automatic transmissions for trucks and buses. Notably, ZF transmissions, such as
1692-419: The rear axle. It is felt that the low polar inertia is crucial in selection of this layout. The mid-engined layout also uses up central space, making it generally only practical for single seating-row sports-cars, with exception to a handful of 2+2 designs . Additionally, some microtrucks use this layout, with a small, low engine beneath a flat load floor above the rear wheel-wells. This makes it possible to move
1739-422: The severe drivability issue. Using MacPherson struts in combination with very wide front tyres and rack-and-pinion steering system produced stronger and undesirable kickback. For the production cars, Maserati reverted to a conventional wishbone arrangement for the front suspension. Citroën 's advanced high-pressure LHM hydraulic technology was adapted into two circuit systems: main and auxiliary. The main controls
1786-475: The steering systems division was made separate and became the new ZF Lenksysteme GmbH, a joint venture between ZF Friedrichshafen and Robert Bosch GmbH . Due to the 2008 financial crisis ZF took a €250 million loan from the state-owned KfW Bank and embarked on a company-wide restructure that shut down unprofitable locations, particularly outside Germany, the total number of employees was reduced from 63,000 to 59,000 worldwide. CEO Hans-Georg Härter stated that
1833-399: The vehicle typical of many supercars. Most supercars offer little foot room and little to no provision for luggage, but the Bora has a full-size trunk in the front of the vehicle, and was otherwise known as being much more civilized in comforts from its competitors. Unlike its competitors, the Bora used dual-pane insulative glazing separating its cabin from the engine compartment, as well as
1880-420: The ventilated disc brakes while the auxiliary operates the horizontal and vertical movements of the pedal box (clutch, brake, and throttle), the vertical adjustments of the driver's seat, and the raising and lowering of the retractable headlights. Wheels were 7.5 in × 15 in (190.5 mm × 381.0 mm) Campagnolo light alloy type with distinctive removable polished stainless steel hubcaps in
1927-401: The vertical axis, facilitating turn-in or yaw angle . Also, a near 50/50% weight distribution, with a slight rear weight bias, gives a very favorable balance, with plenty of weight on the driven rear axle under acceleration, while distributing the weight fairly evenly under braking, thereby making optimal use of all four wheels to decelerate the car rapidly as well. The RMR layout generally has
Maserati Bora - Misplaced Pages Continue
1974-454: Was also common in smaller-engined 1950s microcars , in which the engines did not take up much space. Because of successes in motorsport, the RMR platform has been commonly used in many road-going sports cars despite the inherent challenges of design, maintenance and lack of cargo space. The similar mid-engine, four-wheel-drive layout gives many of the same advantages and is used when extra traction
2021-606: Was designed by Ferdinand Porsche along with Willy Walb and Hans Nibel . It raced in 1923 and 1924 and was most successful in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza where it stood fourth. Later, Ferdinand Porsche used mid-engine design concept towards the Auto Union Grand Prix cars of the 1930s which became the first winning RMR racers. They were decades before their time, although MR Miller Specials raced
2068-455: Was manually adjustable for rake and reach. The auxiliary hydraulic circuit system controls adjusted the driver's seat vertically, the pedal box (consisting of the brake, clutch and throttle pedals) can be set horizontally forwards and backwards by around 76 mm (3.0 in) – a first such application in the world for a production car, and also to raise and lower the concealed headlights in the front fenders. The larger 4.9-litre V8 engine from
2115-563: Was originally the automotive division of TRW Inc. , established in 2002. It specializes in designing, manufacturing, and selling automotive safety systems . With approximately 200 facilities and 66,100 employees across 26 countries, TRW Automotive was acquired by ZF Friedrichshafen in 2015 and now forms the Active & Passive Safety Technology division. In October 2022, ZF spun off the Passive Safety Systems division into
2162-614: Was the Renault-engined Lotus Europa , built from 1966 to 1975. Finally, in 1966, the Lamborghini Miura was the first high performance mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive road car. The concept behind the Miura was that of putting on the road a grand tourer featuring state-of-the-art racing-car technology of the time; hence the Miura was powered by a V12 transversely mounted between the rear wheels, solidal to
2209-512: Was the first two-seater Pontiac since the 1926 to 1938 coupes, and also the first mass-produced mid-engine sports car by a U.S. manufacturer. ZF Friedrichshafen ZF Friedrichshafen AG , also known as ZF Group , originally Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen ( lit. ' Cogwheel Factory of Friedrichshafen ' ), and commonly abbreviated to ZF , is a German technology manufacturing company that supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. It
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