Originally posted by halfracedrift
what you mean by... this gives better grip because the further away the weight is from the centre of the 2 wheels, and then you say the worse.. what are you implying here? 
In a MR car, the engine is behind the passenger, but in front of the rear axle. The drive wheels in a MR car are the rear wheels.
An intercooler can still be placed in front of the driver (in the "front trunk") if the intake plumbing is run all the way up there. This is awkward, but would be good if you need a large intercooler (for which there may not be room in the engine compartment...which are often small in MR cars). There is also more cold air in the front of the car -- coming in as the car moves forward -- than in the rear-ish engine compartment.
Nissan's "front midship" designation is hokey at best. Very few cars have engines in front of the front wheels, and most have the engine just behind the front wheels (as the G35 and 350Z are). As many have said (including MazKid), there are lot's of cars in the past that are set up "front midship", but that does not make them MR cars; they're still FR (or FF). The true definition of MR is
behind the driver but [/b]in front of the rear wheels[/b].
To answer the original question: an MR car can quite easily acheive a 40/60 distribution (as in 60% rear, 40%front). First imagine an empty chassis/shell: no engine, or anything else heavy. This empty car will have a 50/50 distribution.
[F]--(0)-------(0)--[R]
Now place the engine exactly in the middle.
[F]--(0)---#---(0)--[R]
Still 50/50, right? Now slide the engine towards the rear wheels. That 50/50 ratio will slide to 51/49...52/48...until you get to 60/40.
[F]--(0)------#(0)--[R]
Most of the engine will still be between the wheels, as will most of the drivetrain. Remember: the transmission still has to go forward to the gear selector between the front seats.
