We had further email correspondences yesterday and he added the following regarding possible cons of rear/mid engined cars on normal roads in comparison with front rear cars.
Mike is a very good friend from Chicago who also joined my 60th birthday over here in March. When he was here he was the first customer who could rent the new A110 Alpine for ten laps at the Nordschleife Nürburgring and he was very enthusiastic about this car.
He is an (audio but not only) engineer. We met first ten years ago on a meeting at the Klipsch factory in Hope AR. We share our common interests in cars and audio. He likes the driving as much as his technical considerations about it to share. Of course I asked him before I published his text:
„Btw, the reason I was comparing to front-rear cars is because I think they might be more enjoyable to drive on a normal road. The thing about this rear weight creating a rotational moment is that you always gotta be careful about the car's balance before slamming on the brakes. Or you have to be careful that you can't swerve as quickly without braking first. Momentum works both ways... Either it wants to continue moving, or it equally resists moving.
Also, I think the mid-rear setups might be slower in an autocross slalom because the rotational inertia fights against you during the transitions. Basically, you can't take advantage of it without braking. Or to put it another way, the car turns slower if you don't have enough speed to brake.
This isn't a problem on any racetrack, but is something I fight against in autocross [regarding his Elise] It's also annoying on the road because sometimes I don't get to carry speed into my favorite corners due to traffic conditions... If I try to accelerate to my cornering speed, then I will lose front grip and push off the corner.... even though I haven't reached my ideal corner entry speed. This is because I lost the rotational moment afforded by braking first. This is technically true for all cars, but I think it's way more noticeable with a rear engine setup.
All that to say, I think front-rear is more fun to drive outside of a racetrack....“
