How A Helicopter Engine Gave America A Rear-Engined Flat-Six 15 Years Before The Porsche 911

In the late 1940s, the Tucker 48 was one of the most advanced vehicles ever to grace American roads. Its rear-mounted engine bay didn’t hold a typical automotive engine. Instead, it used a 335-cubic-inch (5.5L) flat-six engine also used in helicopters and planes.Seeing as the Tucker 48 was technically released in 1948, it beat the Porsche 911 to the flat-six punch by over 15 years.