automotive design Automotive design is the process of developing the appearance (and to some extent the ergonomics) of motor vehicles - including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. The functional design and development of a modern m ...

, an R4, or Rear-engine,

Four-wheel-drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

layout places the

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal c ...

at the rear of the vehicle, and drives all four roadwheels. This layout is typically chosen to improve the traction or the handling of existing vehicle designs using the

rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout In automotive design, an RR, or rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. In contrast to the RMR layout, the center of mass of the engine is between the rear axle and the rear bumpe ...

(RR). The R4 layout is very rare, only having been used on a small number of production vehicles. Notable vehicles with this layout include several high-performance Porsche

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

s, including the

959 Year 959 ( CMLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * April - May – The Byzantines refuse to pay the yearly tribute. A Hungari ...

, the 911 Turbo since the introduction of the turbocharged version of the 993 series in 1995, and the 911 Carrera 4 introduced with the 964 series in 1989. Some

Volkswagen Kübelwagen The Volkswagen Type 82 ''Kübelwagen'' (), or simply ''Kübel'', contractions of the original German word ''Kübelsitzwagen'' (translated: 'bucket-seat car' — but when the contractions are translated literally a back-formation of 'bucket' or ' ...

(the rear-engined

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

-based military vehicle used by

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

) variants were produced with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive, including the Type 86, Type 87, Type 98. Also, some Vanagons/Microbuses came in 4WD Syncro version.

Examples

File:Porsche 959 – Frontansicht (3), 21. März 2013, Düsseldorf.jpg,

Porsche 959 The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 1986 to 1993, first as a Group B rally car and later as a road legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring at least ...

, rear-engine, four-wheel-drive, to speed of 197 mph to 211 mph File:White Porsche 993 turbo coupé.jpg ,

Porsche 993 The Porsche 993 is the internal designation for the Porsche 911 model manufactured and sold between January 1994 and early 1998 (model years 1995–1998 in the United States), replacing the 964. Its discontinuation marked the end of air-cool ...

Turbo File:Porsche 911 (964) Turbo (10317085456).jpg,

Porsche 964 The Porsche 964 is the company's internal name for the Porsche 911 manufactured and sold between 1989 and 1994. Designed by Benjamin Dimson through January 1986, it featured significant styling revisions over previous 911 models, most prominently ...

File:Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4 WD.jpg, Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4WD truck File:VW T3 Caravelle syncro 1984-1992 fromtleft 2008-08-16 U.jpg, Volkswagen Syncro 4WD Van File:VW T3 syncro Bernemer Kerb Festzug Aufstellung 13082011.JPG, Volkswagen Syncro 4WD File:1991 Volkswagen T3 der Gendarmerie grand-ducale - Vintage Cars & Bikes Steinfort.jpg, Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4WD File:1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro (Typ 2 - T3) (4811871813).jpg, 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro File:1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro (Typ 2 - T3) (4812495500).jpg, 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle Club Westfalia Syncro File:VW T3 Tristar Syncro (1990) (35972842771).jpg, Volkswagen T3 Tristar Syncro (1990) File:VW Kuebelwagen 1.jpg, WW2

References

* *Taylor, Blaine (2004). ''Volkswagen Military Vehicles of the Third Reich''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. . .
Road Trippers, Syncro

External links

Porsche
- 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupé, Cabriolet, Targa, Speedster, and 4 Coupé
Porsche
- 1989 Porsche Turbo 911 Coupé, Cabriolet, and Targa
Official website of Porsche

993 Owners and information

Information on and about Porsche 993

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 (Generation 993) Exterior and Interior in Full HD 3D
YouTube
-Driving Americas with VW Westfalia 4x4 Extreme Adventure, YouTube
Four-wheel drive layout {{Commons category, Porsche 993