Six decades of great mid-engined cars

Slide of It would have been all too easy to fill a gallery of mid-engined cars with Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other assorted exotica. But mid-engined doesn't have to mean unattainable, so here we bring you some of the landmark mid-engined cars since the first arrived in the early 1960s. Sure, there are a few exotics in here, but you'll also find affordable sportsters, intriguing rarities and even one or two concepts to remind you of what might have been. But let's start at the beginning: Slide of Bonnet Djet (1961) The one that started it all; the world's first ever mid-engined road car. It used Renault running gear and was made by Matra, which took over the project when Bonnet couldn't pay its bills. Slide of De Tomaso Vallelunga (1964) A mid-engined De Tomaso might sound exotic, but this 'supercar' packed nothing more pokey than a 1.5-litre Ford Cortina engine. The Vallelunga looked great but could manage just 112mph. Just 58 were made between 1965 and 1967. Slide of Ford GT40 (1965) When Ford was thwarted in its attempt to buy Ferrari in 1963, it retaliated by creating a car that would thrash the Italian outfit at Le Mans – which the GT40 did no fewer than four times. A rather exciting looking film about it all, Ford v Ferrari, arrives later in 2019. Slide of Lamborghini Miura (1966) When the prototype was unveiled at the 1966 Geneva motor show, Lamborghini reckoned it could sell maybe 20 examples of its Miura. Seven years later, 763 examples had been built, each with a 3929cc V12 in the middle. Slide of Unipower GT (1966) The first affordable British mid-engined sportster, the Unipower featured Mini mechanicals and was beautfiully made, but it was too costly to survive and just 75 were produced in two years. Slide of Porsche 914 (1969) Despised by Porsche afficionados but great to drive and very costly when new, the 914 was fitted with a tuned VW 411 powerplant that displaced 1.7, 1.8 or 2.0 litres – a few were fitted with a 2.0-litre flat-six from the Porsche 912. Over 100,000 Porsche 914s were made. Slide of Clan Crusader (1971) With its rev-happy Hillman Imp engine and lightweight glassfibre bodywork, the Crusader was fast and economical – but it also cost about 40 per cent more than an MG Midget. Despite this, 315 were built before the company went belly up. Slide of De Tomaso Pantera (1971) With its 5.8-litre Ford V8, this is the relatively affordable Italian supercar. But like most of its ilk, the Pantera (Italian for Panther) was shockingly badly built, although it still looks fabulous. More than 7000 were made in a 21-year production run. Slide of Maserati Bora (1971) Designed and built at a time when Citroen owned Maserati, this was the company's first mid-engined car. Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the car looked great but never sold especially well; between 1971 and 1978 just 571 were sold. Slide of Fiat X1/9 (1972) Arguably the first affordable mid-engined sportster, the X1/9 was designed by Bertone and used Fiat 128 running gear. That initially meant a 1.3-litre engine and a top speed of just 99mph; from 1978 a 1.5-litre unit was fitted. Slide of Ferrari Boxer (1973) Stung by the phenomenal success of Lamborghini's Miura, Ferrari had to retaliate with this, its first mid-engined 12-pot. With a 4.4-litre flat-12, Ferrari claimed the Boxer could do 170mph; from 1976 a 4.9-litre engine was fitted. Slide of Lancia Stratos (1973) After Lancia's competition director Cesare Fiorio saw Bertone's wedge-shaped Stratos Zero concept at the 1970 Turin salon there was no turning back. This 2.4-litre V6-powered homologation special was the result and it proved massively successful in rallying. Slide of Lamborghini Countach (1974) Has any supercar ever looked more dramatic than the Countach? Named after a Piedmontese exclamation, this V12-powered behemoth survived 16 years of production, with 1997 made. Slide of Lancia Montecarlo (1975) The Lancia Beta might not seem like the most promising start point for a mid-engined budget sports car, but the Montecarlo (or Scorpion in the US) was actually rather fun. With zesty 1.8 or 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines the Montecarlo was perky, handled well and looked neat. Both coupé and spyder editions were offered. Slide of Lotus Esprit (1976) The second mid-engined Lotus (after the Europa), the Esprit would become an icon thanks to James Bond. Originally penned by Giugiaro, the Esprit was refreshed by Peter Stevens in 1987, with softer lines. Slide of AC 3000ME (1978) The ME stood for mid-engined – the first car in AC's history to feature such a configuration. But the gestation was protracted and the car was outdated by the time it arrived; it failed dismally with production running to just 100 or so examples. Slide of BMW M1 (1979) The first car to come