3-546: The Volvo B12B was a rear-engined coach and intercity bus chassis built by Volvo . It is built as a direct replacement of Volvo B12 in the European market and the Volvo B10B . The B12B could be fitted with Volvo DH12C (later DH12D and DH12E) 6-cylinder 12-litre engine, coupled to a Volvo-automated, ZF automatic, or later, Volvo I-Shift transmission. Volvo also developed a low-entry variant of B12B, known as
6-603: The Volvo B12BLE , for intercity and city operations. The Volvo B12B has been superseded by the Volvo B13R with a 13-litre engine. Rear-engine design In automobile design , a rear-engine design layout places the engine at the rear of the vehicle. The center of gravity of the engine itself is behind the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an imbalance of such proportions would make it impossible to keep
9-565: The front wheels on the ground. Rear-engined vehicles almost always have a rear-wheel drive car layout , but some are four wheel drive . This layout has the following features: This layout was once popular in small, inexpensive cars and light commercial vehicles. Today most car makers have abandoned the layout although it does continue in some expensive cars, like the Porsche 911 . It is also used in some racing car applications, low-floor buses , some Type-D school buses , and microcars such as
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