Here's an interesting video with six of what are (arguably) the most unusual powertrain layouts ever put in a car.....generally these powertrains are in exotic vehicles. Of course, we're talking straight gas-powered vehicles (or gas/alcohol) with internal-combustion engines, not hybrids, fuel-cells, natural-gas, propane, full-electrics, or anything like that.

 

I still think the Porsche 911 has the weirdest engine layout of any current car. Rear mounted flat six, over half of the engine hangs over the rear axle. Kind of amazing that Porsche has stuck with the design after all these years and not mounted the engine ahead of the rear axle like they do in the Boxter/Cayman. Also amazing is they've managed to tame and exorcise all the spooky handling characteristics that design naturally gives a chassis. Old 911's(I'm talking air cooled ones from the 60's/70's to the mid/late 80's) were known as widow makers. Enter a corner too hot, car is pushing/understeering, your first reaction is to lift off the gas. Do that in an old 911, the rear end would come around on you and spin the car. Think of it like a pendulum on a clock.

 

Yeah, but......Nothing has grip like a 911 when you are on the gas.

 

What you describe in older 911s was known as lift-throttle snap-oversteer. It was a classic problem with these cars if you overdid it, were inexperienced in them, didn't practice first, were overconfident, or simply thumbed your nose at the laws of physics.

There are several factors that you can attribute to the fact that modern 911s handle civilly....improved suspensions, larger tires with much better grip, computer engineering, all-wheel-drive, vehicle stability systems, and better weight distribution despite the inherently tail-happy layout.