Transverse engine

The Critchley light car, made by the Daimler Motor Company in 1899, had a transverse engine with belt drive to the rear axle.

The East German-built Trabant, which appeared in 1957, also had a transversely mounted two stroke engine, and this design was kept until the end of production, in 1991.

This layout, still in use today, also provided superior refinement, easier repair and was better-suited to adopting five-speed transmissions than the original Issigonis in-sump design.

This configuration was unheard of in 1965, but became more common in the following decades, with cars such as the Lancia Montecarlo, Noble M12, Toyota MR2, Pontiac Fiero, and first-generation Honda NSX using such a powertrain design.

This has also allowed for improved safety in a frontal impact, due to more longitudinal engine compartment space being created.

In the United States, they were offered in the early 1930s by Twin Coach and used with limited success in Dwight Austin's Pickwick Nite-Coach.