Top 10 Best & Unique Rear-Engine Cars
Why do some automakers insist on creating rear-engine cars, I mean, they kinda defy logic… or common sense. But yet, here we are.
Let’s cut thru the BS:
Rear-engine cars shouldn’t work.
Picture swinging a sledgehammer backwards, akward, right? Yet automakers keep slapping engines behind the rear axle, creating some of the most gorgeous unhinged machines ever to grace asphalt.
This isn’t just about speed. It’s about defiance. These cars give engineers migraines and physics textbooks existential crises… and we’re here for every glorious second of it.
Forget balance. Forget convention. Let’s check out the rebels that turned terrible weight distribution into art.
1. Porsche 993 GT2: The Widowmaker
Some cars whisper elegance. The 993 GT2 screams “I’ll kill you” through a megaphone. Those swollen hips weren’t just for show—they swallowed 18-inch wheels whole and spat out 430 turbocharged hores. The whale tale? Pure function. This thing generated actual downforce while looking like Patrick Swayze in a leather jacket.
Fun fact: Early 911 fanatics insisted rear-engine cars couldn’t handle. The GT2 responded by dominating Le Mans. Porsche even ditched the rear seats and AWD to save weight, creating a raw, tail-happy monster that purists still call the last “real” 911. Find me a modern GT3 RS that makes your palms sweat just looking at it. I’ll wait.
2. Alpine A110: The Original French Supermodel
Before France gave us croissants and baguettes (it’s a joke calm down), they built the A110—a rear-engine rally beauty wrapped in fiberglass tighter than a Cannes cocktail dress. Quad headlights? Check. Chrome bumpers so delicate you’d blink and dent them? Check. A 1.3L engine weaker than a barista’s espresso? Also check.
Here’s the kicker: This 1,500-pound featherweight crushed the 1973 World Rally Championship. Why? Because driving a slow car fast beats babying a hypercar. Modern designers still copy (ahem… I mean get inspired) by its curves—just ask Lotus.
3. Tatra T87: The Third Reich’s Kryptonite
You’ve never heard of this Czech madhouse. Good. Let’s fix that.
The Tatra T87 looked like an Art Deco spaceship and drove like a pendulem on meth. Streamlined? It cut through the 1930s air smoother than Sinatra’s voice. That dorsal fin wasn’t styling fluff; it stabilized the car at speeds that made contemporary cars shimmy like drunk uncles.
The best part? Nazis loved stealing these—until the rear-engine layout sent them spinning into ditches. Hittler banned them. True story.
4. Volkswagen Beetle: The People’s Punchline
“Oh, the Beetle’s cute,” they say. Wrong. This bug survived Hitler, hippies, and Herbie sequels. Think about that.
Ferdinand Porsche’s genius wasn’t the air-cooled engine or rear layout—it was making 25 million drivers ignore physics. That curved roofline? Designed to clear an SS officer’s hat. No joke. Today, restomod shops cram Subaru engines into Beetles, creating 400hp monsters. Respect.
5. Porsche 959: The $5 Million Dream
The 959 wasn’t a car. It was a statement—a nuclear-powered Swiss watch that embarrassed Ferraris while sipping fuel. Twin turbos? Adjustable ride height? All-wheel drive in the 1980s? Porsche spent $204 million developing this (in Reagan-era dollars!) just to flex.
Result: A 1987 speed limit of 197 mph while Ferrari scratched 180. Bill Gates got his impounded fighting import laws. Worth it?
6. Renault 5 Turbo: Rally Legend
Take a grocery getter. Cram a turbocharged engine where the back seats go. Add flares wide enuff to land fighter jets on. Voilà—the R5 Turbo.
This French lunatic dominated Group B rally. Why? Because Renault engineers snorted espresso grounds and said “Why not?” The mid/rear engine (fight me) turned understeer into oversteer and sanity into confette. Modern hot hatches? Posers with traction control.
7. Tucker 48: The Car That Almost Ended Ford
The Tucker 48, also known as the “Torpedo,” was decades ahead of its time. Its most distinctive feature? The centrally mounted third headlight, nicknamed the “Cyclops Eye,” which turned with the steering wheel to illuminate corners.
This sleek fastback was packed with innovations, from a rear-mounted engine to safety features like a padded dashboard. Only 51 were ever built, but the Tucker 48 remains a symbol of what could have been if corporate politics hadn’t derailed Preston Tucker’s vision.
8. Fiat 500: Italy’s Gelato on Wheels
You think “cute.” I think revolutionary.
Post-war Italy needed wheels. Fiat answered with a rear-engine micro-machine that turned alleys into Autobahns. The suicide doors? Iconic. The fold-back sunroof? Pure joy. Modern Fiats lost the plot chasing MINIs. OG 500s? Still swarming Naples like Vespa-riding cockroaches.
9. Škoda 130 RS: Communism’s Secret Weapon
Communism bred terrible cars. Except this. The 130 RS looked like a soap dish but dominated the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally. How? A rear-engine layout, 140hp rotary (!), and engineers who clearly stoled capitalist tech.
Forbidden, forgotten, fabulous.
10. Cisitalia 360: The Porsche That Wasn’t
The Cisitalia 360 is a fascinating piece of automotive history. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche for Italian industrialist Piero Dusio, this Grand Prix car featured a mid/rear-mounted flat-12 engine and cutting-edge technology for its time.
What makes the 360 even more interesting is its role in history. Dusio’s financial support for the project helped secure Porsche’s release from post-war detention, allowing him to continue his legendary career.
Why Rear-Engine Cars Matter
They’re the automotive equivalent of tightrope walkers—flawed, thrilling, and utterly pointless. Front-engine cars are apps; rear-engine cars are hand-scribed poetry.
Slap your hot take below.
