Transverse Engines—The First Decade

Abstract

To justify the title of the paper, mention is made of the B.M.C. Mini and Leyland Atlantean bus, both having transverse power units and being introduced slightly over ten years ago. Although these were not the first vehicles to embody the principle, they are claimed to have exploited it in modern production quantities. A survey is made of the development of the fore-and-aft engine position used in the majority of vehicles today and the reasons for changing this well-established arrangement are discussed. A short account is given of the B.M.C. Mini design history, including some development problems and their solutions. This is followed by descriptions of larger versions based on the original 850 cm³ concept. Descriptions are given of competitive transverse power units with some comments on their technical merits. Turning to public service vehicles, details are presented of the Leyland Atlantean and other rear-engined power unit layouts. Pros and cons of the various design approaches seen in the various car applications already described are discussed. Attention is drawn to certain critical design areas, such as power unit mountings, gear control, drive line flexibility, etc. In conclusion it is shown that there is no overall ideal design solution to the problems already mentioned and compromise is inevitable in the creation of any new design. The transverse engine, although still regarded as unorthodox, has established itself as a sound engineering proposition for both private cars and bus applications and its future appears to be assured.