Misplaced Pages

#780219

23-652: The McLaren Solus GT is a limited-production track-only mid-engined sports car manufactured by McLaren Automotive . The car is the sixth addition in the McLaren Ultimate Series , joining the McLaren F1 , McLaren P1 , McLaren Senna , McLaren Speedtail , and McLaren Elva . It is based on the 2017 Super Vision Gran Turismo concept that appeared in the Sony Interactive Entertainment game Gran Turismo Sport . The car

46-492: A front-engine or rear-engine car. When the engine is in front of the driver, but fully behind the front axle line, the layout is sometimes called a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, or FMR layout instead of the less-specific term front-engine; and can be considered a subset of the latter. In-vehicle layout, FMR is substantially the same as FR, but handling differs as a result of the difference in weight distribution. Some vehicles could be classified as FR or FMR depending on

69-458: A problem in some cars, but this issue seems to have been largely solved in newer designs. For example, the Saleen S7 employs large engine-compartment vents on the sides and rear of the bodywork to help dissipate heat from its very high-output engine. Mid-engined cars are more dangerous than front-engined cars if the driver loses control - although this may be initially harder to provoke due to

92-405: A progressive and controllable manner as the tires lose traction. Super, sport, and race cars frequently have a mid-engined layout, as these vehicles' handling characteristics are more important than other requirements, such as usable space. In dedicated sports cars, a weight distribution of about 50% front and rear is frequently pursued, to optimise the vehicle's driving dynamics – a target that

115-438: A redline of 10,000 rpm. The engine has individual barrel-driven throttle bodies , with gear-driven camshafts , bespoke crank, intake and exhaust systems. Power is sent from the engine to the rear wheels via a Le Mans Prototype -spec 7-speed sequential gearbox , and McLaren claims that the car will do 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 2.5 seconds, with a top speed in excess of 322 km/h (200 mph). The gearbox

138-401: A vehicle safer since an accident can occur if a vehicle cannot stay in its own lane around a curve or is unable to stop quickly enough. Mid-engine design is also a way to provide additional empty crush space in the front of the automobile between the bumper and the windshield, which can then be designed to absorb more of the impact force in a frontal collision in order to minimize penetration into

161-432: Is designed to be an "extreme expression of track driving engagement", and will be limited to 25 units, all of which come with a custom moulded seat, FIA -homologated race suit, helmet, and a bespoke HANS (head and neck support device) . The 5.2 L (320 cu in) V10 is a Judd -derived block, which McLaren claims produces in excess of 840 PS (829 hp; 618 kW) and 650 N⋅m (479 lb⋅ft) with

184-404: Is of aluminium-magnesium construction and consists of straight-cut gears, with a carbon fibre clutch, and with the engine the two will act as stressed members. The chassis is a bespoke carbon fibre monocoque that incorporates numerous designs from Formula One , with 3D-printed titanium components used in the halo protecting the cockpit and roll bar, and carbon fibre crash structures similar to

207-408: Is typically only achievable by placing the engine somewhere between the front and rear axles. Usually, the term "mid-engine" has been primarily applied to cars having the engine located between the driver and the rear drive axles. This layout is referred to as rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive , (or RMR) layout. The mechanical layout and packaging of an RMR car are substantially different from that of

230-604: The 1950s and 1960s, e.g. the AEC Reliance . The Ferrari Mondial is to date the only successful example of a true mid-engined convertible with seating for 4 and sports car/supercar performance. A version of the Lotus Evora with a removable roof panel is anticipated but no definite date is known. Like any layout where the engine is not front-mounted and facing the wind, the traditional "engine-behind-the-passengers" layout makes engine cooling more difficult. This has been

253-521: The case of the Ferrari FF taking power from both ends of the crankshaft with two separate gearboxes. These cars use a traditional engine layout between driver and rear drive axle. Typically, they're simply called MR; for mid-rear (engined), or mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout cars. These cars use mid-ship, four-wheel-drive , with an engine between the axles. These cars are "mid-ship engined" vehicles, but they use front-wheel drive , with

SECTION 10

#1732791642781

276-466: The current Formula One cars that employ the ground effect . A large front splitter, Venturi tunnels integrated into the floor, a twin-element fixed rear wing all combine to give the car a claimed downforce figure of 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) at top speed. This article about a modern automobile produced after 1975 is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mid engine The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered

299-467: The engine in front of the driver. It is still treated as an FF layout, though, due to the engine's placement still being in the front of the car, contrary to the popular belief that the engine is placed in front of the rear axle with power transferred to the front wheels (an RMF layout). In most examples, the engine is longitudinally mounted rather than transversely as is common with FF cars. Car handling Too Many Requests If you report this error to

322-413: The engine placed between the driver and the front axle. This layout, similar to the above FMR layout, with the engine between driver and the front axle, adds front-wheel drive to become a four-wheel drive. An engineering challenge with this layout is getting the power to the front wheels past the engine - this would normally involve raising the engine to allow a propshaft to pass under the engine, or in

345-562: The factory-installed engine (I4 vs I6). Historically most classical FR cars such as the Ford Models T and A would qualify as an FMR engine car. Additionally, the distinction between FR and FMR is a fluid one, depending on the degree of engine protrusion in front of the front axle line, as manufacturers mount engines as far back in the chassis as possible. Not all manufacturers use the Front-Mid designation. These cars are RWD cars with

368-439: The fore and aft weight distribution by other means, such as putting the engine in the front and the gearbox and battery in the rear of the vehicle. Another benefit comes when the heavy mass of the engine is located close to the back of the seats. It makes it easier for the suspension to absorb the force of bumps so the riders feel a smoother ride. But in sports cars, the engine position is once again used to increase performance and

391-521: The front tires in braking the vehicle, with less chance of rear-wheel lockup and less chance of a skid or spin out. If the mid-engine vehicle is also rear-drive the added weight on the rear tires can also improve acceleration on slippery surfaces, providing much of the benefit of all-wheel-drive without the added weight and expense of all-wheel-drive components. The mid-engine layout makes ABS brakes and traction control systems work better, by providing them more traction to control. The mid-engine layout may make

414-499: The ones found on Formula One cars . The car features double wishbone suspension with pushrod torsion bars at the front and pull-rod torsion bars at the rear, with four-way manually adjustable dampers. A sliding canopy on the roof of the car slides open to allow the driver to climb into the sole seat in the vehicle, similar in fashion to the Lamborghini Egoista . The bodywork also has a unique design that borrows from

437-483: The original layout of automobiles. A 1901 Autocar was the first gasoline-powered automobile to use a drive shaft and placed the engine under the seat. This pioneering vehicle is now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution . Mounting the engine in the middle instead of the front of the vehicle puts more weight over the rear tires, so they have more traction and provide more assistance to

460-443: The passenger compartment of the vehicle. In most automobiles, and in sports cars especially, ideal car handling requires balanced traction between the front and rear wheels when cornering, in order to maximize the possible speed around curves without sliding out. This balance is harder to achieve when the heavy weight of the engine is located far to the front or far to the rear of the vehicle. Some automobile designs strive to balance

483-536: The potentially smoother ride is usually more than offset by stiffer shock absorbers . This layout also allows the motor, gearbox, and differential to be bolted together as a single unit. Together with independent suspension on the driven wheels, this removes the need for the chassis to transfer engine torque reaction. The largest drawback of mid-engine cars is restricted rear or front (in the case of front-mid layouts) passenger space; consequently, most mid-engine vehicles are two-seat vehicles. The engine in effect pushes

SECTION 20

#1732791642781

506-412: The rear passenger seats forward towards the front axle (if the engine is behind the driver). Exceptions typically involve larger vehicles of unusual length or height in which the passengers can share space between the axles with the engine, which can be between them or below them, as in some vans, large trucks, and buses. The mid-engine layout (with a horizontal engine) was common in single-decker buses in

529-412: The superior balance - and the car begins to spin. The moment of inertia about the center of gravity is low due to the concentration of mass between the axles (similar to standing in the middle of a playground roundabout, rather than at the edge) and the spin will occur suddenly, the car will rotate faster and it will be harder to recover from. Conversely, a front-engined car is more likely to break away in

#780219