Editing Mid-engine design (section)

==Drawbacks==
[[Image:Unterflurmotor Hanomag.jpg|thumb|225px|Underfloor mid-engine in a historical [[Hanomag]] truck chassis.]]
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 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 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 a problem in some cars,{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} 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 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 a progressive and controllable manner as the tires lose traction.