10 Mid-Engine Cars That Aren’t Supercars

When you think of mid-engine cars, your mind might immediately jump to sleek, high-performance supercars that dominate both the track and your dreams, but this design isn’t just reserved for the world’s supercars. Having an engine in between the two axles can benefit almost any vehicle, and over the years this has led to the creation of many other vehicles that want the poise and balance the layout brings. One of the most famous is the Porsche 718 Cayman, which has become a symbol of attainable mid-engined performance but is hardly the only one.

Many other vehicles, from hatchbacks to minivans, have utilized the mid-engined layout to offer more performance than many previously thought possible. Were they all successes? Certainly not, which is why you’ve probably never heard of some of them, but that doesn’t make them any less impressive for pushing the boundaries of automotive design. These unique cars have made owning a mid-engined vehicle much more accessible than many probably imagine, and hopefully, they’ll give you a little inspiration the next time you’re thinking about getting a weekend track toy.

1 Renault Clio V6

The Hot Hatch With A Nasty Temper

The Renault Clio V6 is a prime example of taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary. Based on the humble front-engined, FWD Clio hatchback, Renault Sport ditched the rear seats and replaced them with a nearly-3.0-liter V6 engine sending power strictly to the rear wheels. The result is a wild pocket rocket that looks as aggressive as it drives, which wasn’t all that great if it was one of the Phase 1 models built by the famed Tom Walkinshaw Racing – that short wheelbase and loads of power made for spikey handling and a car that would bite you without a moment’s notice. As this was a highly specialized model, it was never homologated for sale in the US, and only about 3,000 Phase 1 and Phase 2 cars were ever produced, making it an extremely rare model.

2 Autozam AZ-1

The Gullwing Kei Car From Japan

Japan’s Kei car regulations gave birth to some truly unique vehicles, and the Autozam AZ-1 may be the most interesting of all. If you’ve ever spent time at car shows, odds are good you’ve seen this unique vehicle. This tiny mid-engine sports car was developed by Mazda and marketed under the Autozam brand, with Suzuki supplying the engine. With gullwing doors and a turbocharged three-cylinder engine, the AZ-1 offers a go-kart-like driving experience in a package that looks like it came straight from a sci-fi movie. It wasn’t fast by any means, but it was nimble. Unfortunately, the economic downturn in the early 90s was too much for the quirky car to weather, ultimately killing it after only a few years. Today, people ship them around the world and even give them unique body kits that turn the quirkiness up to 10.

3 Lotus Emira

Lotus’ Last-Ever Combustion Road Car

The Lotus Emira is the latest sports car from the storied British manufacturer, set to be the last combustion vehicle the brand will ever make. This is sad news for enthusiasts, but it means we have to appreciate the sports car a little extra while it’s around, and that’s easy to do thanks to how good of a job the brand did. A Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter supercharged V6 is the main engine available, but a turbocharged Mercedes four-cylinder is on the way. The V6 can be coupled with a six-speed manual and makes a healthy 400 horsepower, which is good enough for the car to feel lively, but certainly no supercar quick. It’s a livable yet classic vehicle; the kind we’ll miss when they’re gone.

You may also be aware of the available AMG-engined version with a DCT gearbox, but there’s a reason we aren’t wasting much time describing it – AMG and Lotus go together like oil and water.

4 Toyota Previa

The Mid-Engined Minivan Legend

A minivan with a mid-engine layout? Yes, we love it just as much as you. Toyota’s second-greatest mid-engined vehicle of all time was a multipurpose people hauler that excelled in carpool pickup lines and Pizza Hut parking lots. The Previa’s shape was inoffensive, yet unique, and as the years progressed it somehow looked more dated and futuristic at the same time. This was never a vehicle meant for power, and as such, while it was sold here, the most it ever made was 161 horsepower, but that could be paired with AWD, making the model that much more capable. While it isn’t much, who doesn’t love a quirky old Toyota? This is why we’re not surprised at all that prices have been steadily rising.

5 Honda Beat

The Tiny 9,000 RPM Screamer

Another Kei car from Japan, the Honda Beat may not be as unique as the Autozam AZ-1, but what it lacks in quirks it makes up for in incredible useability. It was a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive roadster designed for fun on a budget. With a tiny 660cc engine and a lightweight chassis, the Beat isn’t concerned with straight-line speed. Instead, it’s about distilling down the driving experience to the bare essentials, so there’s no surprise it’s gained a cult following around the world. This pint-sized convertible offered an open-top experience with raw driving dynamics to match. Something almost impossible to find today.

6 Pontiac Fiero

The Base For Every Knock-Off Supercar Ever

The Pontiac Fiero was America’s answer to the affordable mid-engine sports car, and while it wasn’t as sporty as many wanted it to be, it was an overall success. Launched in the early 1980s, the Oil Crisis was in full swing, and some engineers were able to convince the bigwigs at GM that a small, mid-engined sports car would be a huge seller. While this seems crazy in hindsight, it actually wasn’t a terrible idea, and thus the first mass-produced American mid-engined sports car was born. It looked good, and drove well, but was let down by its lackluster engines throughout its life. Today, you’ll find plenty of used examples with engine swaps and crazy body kits imitating supercars as a testament to the car’s potential.

7 Toyota MR2

Toyota’s Greatest Mid-Engine Marvel

The Toyota MR2 is not only the greatest mid-engined Toyota ever made, it’s one of the greatest mid-engined sports cars of all time. From its inception, Toyota had the right plan: make it light, give it high-revving engines, and make sure it doesn’t get in its own way. The results spoke for themselves, as it made it through three distinct generations. It was light, nimble, and accessible, often referred to as the “poor man’s Ferrari.” But don’t underestimate it, because one wrong application of the throttle could easily send you careening off the road. It’s a model we miss, and pray Toyota doesn’t screw up if it brings it back.

8 Smart Roadster

Mercedes’ Unloved Novelty Sports Car

In a list of quirky cars, the Smart Roadster may just be the quirkiest. This short-lived car was Smart’s solution when the rest of the world looked at its commuter car lineup and scoffed, and we think it’s a design home run. Just look at the thing: have you ever seen anything before or since quite like it? The “Tridion” safety cell shared with other Smarts can be seen quite clearly, but other than that, it’s a mishmash of a British roadster, Kei car, and some sort of bug. It’s incredible, and despite being slow, it apparently charmed with its driving dynamics. Of course, it never came to the US, and we feel if it had, opinions of the brand would be a bit different around here.

9 Alpine A110

France’s Answer To The Porsche Cayman

The modern Alpine A110 pays homage to the classic rally car of the 1960s but with all the benefits of modern engineering and is one of the larger forbidden fruits on sale today. Since it debuted, we’ve lamented that the model wasn’t sold here. Renault, Alpine’s parent company, hasn’t made a sports car this compelling in years, and if sold here it would compete directly with the likes of the 718 Cayman. Unfortunately, the brand knows better than to bring a low-volume sports car to the States until it has its eggs in order, which is why it plans to bring the next generation here. While that’s great news, unfortunately, the model is going electric, putting a bit of a damper on things.

10 Volkswagen XL1

Ferdinand Piech’s Anti-Veyron

The Volkswagen XL1 is not your typical car, but that’s because it wasn’t designed to be. Back in the days before we knew Volkswagen was a big fat liar, the company pushed its clean diesel technology far and wide as the solution to pollution and fuel economy. The XL1 was meant to be the magnum opus of the technology, featuring a hybrid diesel powertrain that delivered an incredible 310 mpg on the NEDC cycle. Everything about it was meant to achieve better fuel economy, which is why it looked so odd, but the results spoke for themselves. A couple of hundred of the vehicles were produced with carbon fiber chassis featuring a mid-engined layout and only two seats, with none of them sold here, and that’s probably for the best given how things turned out.