The finest mid-engined marvels

2 minutes reading

Wednesday, 1 Jul 2026 08:14 0 3 autotech

Table of Contents

Matra Murena (1980)

First came the Bagheera, then the Murena, which was effectively an update of the earlier car. Both featured an unusual three-abreast seating layout; Murena’s power was courtesy of Renault.

Renault 5 Turbo (1980)

De Lorean (1981)

Pontiac Fiero (1983)

American companies have generally shied away from producing mid-engined cars, so the Pontiac Fiero was a big statement from the usually very conservative General Motors. Although 370,000 were made in a five-year production run, the car was heavily criticised in period for its poor dynamics, build quality and safety record.

Toyota MR2 (1984)

Once the MGB had died, Fiat had the affordable sportster market to itself with its X1/9. Then came the MR2, with its rev-happy 1.6-litre twin-cam engine, superb reliability and brilliant chassis. There would be three iterations of the MR2 between 1984 and 2005, with the original arguably the best.

Ford RS200 (1985)

Powered by a turbocharged 1.8-litre BDT engine, the RS200 was a Group B special that came in roadgoing form with 250bhp, while competition versions boasted up to 650bhp. It could have shone on the rally stage, but the series was cancelled before the RS200 got into its stride.

Nissan Mid-4 (1985)

Nissan produced a mid-engined four-wheel drive supercar proposal in 1985, and then another in 1987, both with twin-turbo 3-litre V6 power. To complete the hat-trick a third iteration was produced with a 4.5-litre V8. Then came a recession, and that was the end of it…