Mid-Engine Love — Motorsport Lab

Ferrari completed a great timeline piece of the history of mid-engine models and how they splintered from front-engine cars to mid-engine cars. That shift of a few feet back of engine placement was all the difference to win more races. Mid-engine Ferraris provided a better center of gravity and weight distribution to create a super-nimble car suited to quickly adjust momentum and flex the car’s body to corner faster!

“Yet for track cars and for road-going sports cars, the advantages of a mid-engined layout were becoming evident. The weight is concentrated in the middle, allowing the car to change direction more easily and rapidly. Handling balance is improved. Moving weight from the front to the rear can also boost rear-end traction and improve the car’s ability to put down its power.”

In my life as an exotic car owner, Ferrari RWD Mid-Engine models are All.The.Rave. I’ve had my share of Aston Martins's front-engine Vantage, and DB9’s and even the Lamborghini Gallardos early AWD mid-engines, and nothing compares to a Mid-Engine RWD Ferrari Model.

I joke that I’m not surprised James Bond is always in an accident within about 30 seconds of driving his Aston Martin, as it’s not easy to make those turns in real life.

Ferrari enthusiasts do battle between Naturally Aspirated vs. Twin Turbo combustion engines that power the Mid-Engine models like Hamilton and Verstappen during an F1 Race. The last supposed Naturally Aspirated model is the 458 Italia, as shown above. The 458 is believed to skyrocket in value and is a coveted car that no one wants to sell. If you got one of those in your garage, hang onto them! Yet, I’m sure the complementing service costs will increase just as much ;-).

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