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Concept
Transverse engine
Summary
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Many modern front-wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles use a longitudinal engine configuration, where the engine's crankshaft axis is parallel with the direction of travel, except for some rear-mid engine vehicles, which use a transverse engine and transaxle mounted in the rear instead of the front. Despite typically being used in light vehicles, it is not restricted to such designs and has also been used on armoured fighting vehicles to save interior space.
The Critchley light car, made by the Daimler Motor Company in 1899, had a transverse engine with belt drive to the rear axle. The first successful transverse-engine cars were the two-cylinder DKW F1 series of cars, which first appeared in 1931.
During WWII, transverse engines were developed for armored vehicles, with the Soviet T-44 and T-54/T-55 tanks being equipped with transverse engines to save space within the hull. The T-54/55 eventually became the most produced tank in history.
After the Second World War, Saab used the configuration in their first model, the Saab 92, in 1947. The arrangement was also used for Borgward's Goliath and Hansa brand cars.
The East German-built Trabant, which appeared in 1957, also had a transverse mounted two stroke engine, and this design was kept until the end of production, in 1991.
However, it was with Alec Issigonis's Mini, introduced by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, that the design gained acclaim. Issigonis incorporated the car's transmission into the engine's sump, producing a drivetrain unit narrow enough to install transversely in a car only wide. While previous DKW and Saab cars used small, unrefined air-cooled two-stroke engines with poor performance, the gearbox-in-sump arrangement meant that an 848 cc four-cylinder water-cooled engine could be fitted to the Mini, providing strong performance for a car of its size.
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