Re: Why are car engines commonly placed in the front of the vehicle?

It looks like you have done a lot of homework already! Exotic cars do 
have engines placed slightly front of the rear tires. Normal cars 
generally have front mounted engines.

There are many factors to consider when deciding the engine placement in 
a car.

1. Weight distributon and handling
2. Cost
3. Packing (smart use of space)
4. Safety (in the case of a crash will people be hurt?)
5. Handling (does the car handle predictably / does it have a tendency to 
oversteer)

Sport car enthusiasts and car racers ussually prefer a car that is 
balanced (equally heavy in the front than the rear), and has most of its 
weight near the middle, while at the same time having rear wheel drive.

This arrangement is best for sports cars because it makes the car 
more "balanced". Balanced is the term professional drivers use to 
describe a car you can easily control which pair of tires slip during a 
turn. In a balanced car, it is easy to throw the front or rear tires into 
a controlled drift with the use of the throttle and breaks. The use of 
throttle and breaks will transfer weight from the front to the rear and 
vice-versa, allowing one pair of tires to be more "loaded" than the 
other. As a result, a professional driver can make the car "oversteer" 
or "understeer"

Production cars, are different. They ussually have a front mounted 
engine, ample room with a back seat, and are, as you may imagine, heavier 
in the front. Additionally, the car is ussually front wheel drive.

This arrangement makes the car less fun to drive, because it is harder to 
kick the rear tires into a slip. In this car, either the front tires 
slip, or there is no slip at all. This car is said to "understeer" and 
not be as balanced. This is bad for those looking for fun, but good for 
those who can't control a car when slipping. In a car like this, lifting 
the throttle and hanging on to the steering wheel is the only skill 
required in an emergency situation. So that makes the car safer.

The front engine also makes the car safer in a crash because it is not 
likely to crush the ocupants in a front impact.

And, like I said before, this car has a back seat.

So, that's why you will not find inexpensive mid engine cars with a back 
seat or exotic cars with a front engine.

Your mad scientist,

-Aurelio R. Ramos