mid-engine AWD gearbox discussion

[lotus_65]

At the risk of confirming my ignorance, we are hoping to dismiss the dream of building our mid-engine restomod up to awd.

Gearboxes from all the models I can think of would be effectively unobtainium -

• Audi R8
• Lamborghini Gallardo
• Lamborghini Diablo
• Lamborghini Muircie/LP640/Reventon
• Bugatti EB110
• Bugatti Veyron
• Ford RS200 Group B
• Toyota Previa All-Trac

But so what? Help me fantasize by building a list of 4- or all-wheel drive mid engine cars. Maybe I'll hit the lotto one day.

Thanks!
Paul

[jediali]

Lamborghini Muircie/LP640/Reventon
Lamborghini Diablo
Bugatti EB110
VW Nardo?
Jeep Forward Control
Toyota Previa All-Trac variant
Volvo L3314
Volvo C303

[kingofthering]

Nissan Mid-4 concept.

[NSXType-R]

Tommy Kaira ZZII?

If it were ever produced. You never hear anything about that car.

[kigango123]

The main hurdle, I would think in such a build would be the drive train itself (Do not flame me if i am wrong),

The only simple way, i can think off is the poor man porshe way where you just flip the porshe engine and transmission Longitudally to get a center diff
and just stick have two more diffs front and rear, or you could use a FF transaxle to fulfill the same function.

Other than that i cant think of any other drivetrain configuration for the common engine. All the others i can think of are hair brain ideas involving driveshafts going through oilpans and stuff like that

Onto the list:

MG metro 6R4

[culver]

A mid motor AWD would be a complex beast. Engine in the center just really doesn't make for good power flow through the car. In a real mid engine car (not the "front mid" marketing BS) you generally have the motor sitting across the center line of the car. The gear box is generally sitting in front (Lamborghini), behind (basically all other mid, longitudinal layouts) or to the side (mid engine cars made from transverse FWD parts). None of these really does a good job getting power past the motor, along the center line of the car to the front. A FWD, transverse drive line such as used in say the Audi TT almost does it. You could flip the entire drive line around backwards. Then your only issue would be having 1 forward gear and 6 in reverse! It also would technically be a rear engine as the motor would now be behind the rear axle line.

The guy doing the DP1 (dpcars.net) made his own AWD power train. His work is very interesting. Sometimes very clever, other times rather WTH!? Either way, his is a very neat project and a hell of an undertaking for a amateur.

Personally, I would stick with RWD. In general RWD handles very nicely and personally I've found RWD to feel better to drive. That may not mean they go faster but just more fun.

[culver]

BTW, the Previa drive line was more like a traditional front engine -rwd truck layout. The engine was on it's side and further back (not traditional) but the gearbox sent power to both ends via prop shafts like a traditional truck AWD system.

[lotus_65]

thanks everyone for the participation. this is a cool site.

ideally, i'd find this lump/box in the bone yard... i find that as funny as you do!

[Mr. K]

I realize this is a very old post and may be the only one to look at it in years , but I've put both a Subaru and a Audi up on my rack lately and was thinking move the motor and transaxle straight back to the rear. Now the motor is in the middle. Then where the drive shaft goes put a transfer case running the drive line forward under the motor to the diff up front. The drive shaft would be basically fixed with little to no geometry changes. I've done some rough measurements and think i could get it to fit under a 550spider or coupe preferably. I would need to find out what the torque split is as this would reverse it and not sure how to keep it the same.
Does anybody have any Idea what might work for the transfer case. I've seen applications for boats but not sure if they could hold up. Rubber and asphalt may be stickier than a prop in the water. The transfer cases i've seen in 4wd equipment has been bulky but there may be something from a cross-over or something else that might work.