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It started innocently enough using VW parts. The 356-1 Roadster from the late 40s, the first Porsche(widely recoqnized) used a Beetle drivetrain. Only it was flipped, meaning the engine sat infront on the rear axle. The 356-1 was midengined 2 seater. The 356-2 of the 50s put the engine behind as in the Beetle. It has stayed back there eversince.
The mid-engine design has many high performance advantages. It is overall superior to the rear-engine setup. However, some of the advantages of having a rear weight bias are amplified with having the engine in the rear. Under acceleration from a standstill, weight is on top of the drive wheels. This gives the 911s there ability to sprint off the line. Under heavy braking, weight transfers to the front, making the rear unsettled. Most pronounced in FWD cars which already carry >60% of weight on the fronts. In RWDs with 50/50 distribution this transfer affects less under braking and this carrys on even more so for mid-engined setups. With the most rear weight bias, the 911 is king of late braking.
Everything has a cost and the rear weight bias has its downside, mostly where a more balanced, 50/50 distribution is advantageous. Just as a FWD naturally understeers a 911 will oversteer. Much of the dangerous snap oversteer of older 911s has been controlled with better suspension setups, moving weight forward, and using huge rubber in the back.
I hope Porsche never completely rids the 911 of its handling demons. The best 911 for 911 handling quirks is the current GT3, IMO.
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"Racing improves the breed" ~Sochiro Honda
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