Longitudinal engine

[1][2] See also: transverse engine This type of motor is usually used for rear-wheel drive cars, except for some Audi, SAAB, the Oldsmobile Toronado, and the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado equipped with longitudinal engines in front wheel drive.

This is partly resolved by having other components, such as the generator and the gearbox, rotate in the opposite direction to the crankshaft.

While both layouts can be adapted for all-wheel drive, the longitudinal engine orientation has a more balanced weight distribution leading to superior handling characteristics, but is less efficient in terms of packaging and interior space.

In the late 1960s, GM divisions Oldsmobile and Cadillac had front-wheel drive models Toronado and Eldorado respectively, with a longitudinal V8 engine and an integrated automatic transmission and differential unit powering the front wheels.

This is a list of typical examples of types of engines which can be placed in motor vehicles:

Longitudinal engine in a three-wheeler chassis
Longitudinal inline-six cylinder engine in a Henderson De Luxe Supersix of 1926