In this day and age, the rear-engine layout - when a car's engine is placed largely behind the rear axle - is a rarity, especially in sports cars. Let's be honest the only car that comes to mind when someone mentions the rear-engine layout is the Porsche 911, right?

However, that wasn't always the case. Back in the day, it was a relatively popular design, especially in smaller cars both the original Volkswagen Beetle and the Fiat 500 were rear-engined. And what's even more fascinating is that the world saw a whole bunch of rear-engined sports car long before the Porsche 911 went into production.

So let's do them some justice! In this article, we'll present our selection of the coolest rear-engined sports cars that aren't a 911.

9 1961 Renault Alpine A110

ALPINE A110
via hagerty.com

Just like the current Alpine A110, the original was produced under Renault's guidance. And just like its offspring, the 1961 model is a fantastic sports car, both in terms of styling and performance.

alpine a110
via favcars.com

And by performance, we don't mean raw power; the A110 was fitted with a range of Renault four-cylinder engines and only made around 140 hp in its "angriest" version. However, it offered great handling that was partly due to the rear-engine design and became a successful rally car.

8 1981 DMC DeLorean

1981 DMC DeLorean
via hagerty.com

John DeLorean's attempt at building a sports car of the future will be quoted in books on how not to start a business for years to come. Many things went wrong with the DeLorean: the overly ambitious manufacturing plan that launched the car's MSRP to outer space, John DeLorean's legal troubles, and, finally, the poor choice of a powerplant.

1981 DMC DeLorean
via hemmings.com

The DeLorean's V6 engine might have been lethargic, but at least it was positioned behind the rear axle, adding an extra touch of cool to an already cool-looking car. At least they got the design right.

7 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa

1964 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa
via pinterest.com

The best-known mass-produced American rear-engined car, the Chevrolet Corvair had a fascinating history. When it first came out in 1960, it completely shattered all norms and stereotypes that had defined the American car industry. Sadly, the first generation of the Corvair did suffer some handling issues due to its rear-engine layout and archaic swing-axle suspension design.

1964 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa
via axleaddict.com

That's why our favorite is the improved 1965 model. More specifically, a two-door hardtop in the sporty Corsa trim. With a healthy 180 hp from its turbocharged 2.7-liter flat-six engine (the second-ever production turbocharged engine, mind you), it was no slouch. At the time, it was the closest thing to a Porsche that Americans could buy, and that's definitely a compliment.

6 1984 Renault Alpine GTA

1984 Renault Alpine GTA
via thewest.com.au

Produced between 1984 and 1995, the Alpine GTA is relatively obscure and unknown compared to the DeLorean, even though the two cars shared the same engine. That's right, the gorgeous fastback GTA was powered by the same infamous PRV V6 as the DeLorean.

1984 Renault Alpine GTA
via thewest.com.au

However, Renault engineers got one thing right that DeLorean didn't – they offered a turbocharged version of the GTA. With the 2.5L unit producing 200 hp, the handsome coupe was quite fast for the time. Unfortunately, that didn't help with the sales numbers, as only about 1,000 cars were made per year, making the GTA a real collector's gem.

5 1955 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

Mecum Auctions

This list wouldn't be complete without the Karmann Ghia. Arguably one of the most gorgeous cars ever produced, it was based on the original Volkswagen Beetle chassis, which, of course, means the rear-engine layout.

Mecum Auctions

It also means that the Karmann Ghia was painfully slow. One could argue, however, that the Karmann Ghia was never about going fast, but, rather, cruising past all your troubles in style. And that the Karmann Ghia does beautifully.

4 1984 Skoda Rapid

1984 Skoda Rapid
via motor1.com

While nowadays Skoda is mostly known as a cheaper alternative to Volkswagen, they have more than a few exciting cars in their lengthy portfolio. The 1984 Rapid is one of them. The boxy design of this fastback coupe is somewhat similar to the Fox-body Mustang.

1984 Skoda Rapid
via motor1.com

Unlike the Mustang, however, the Rapid was powered by a range of four-cylinder engines that only made around 62 hp in their prime. While it wasn't really fast, the Rapid won lots of praise for its fun, sporty handling that was achieved thanks to the low weight and rear-engine layout.

RELATED: Skoda Celebrates 85th Birthday Of Iconic 935 Dynamic

3 2003 Smart Roadster Brabus

2003 Smart Roadster Brabus
via autowereld.com

Coming from a manufacturer of tiny city cars, the Smart Roadster intended to provide driving excitement for an affordable price. Whether it succeeded is debatable: the motoring press loved it, yet a few costly recalls eventually led to the model's discontinuation.

2003 Smart Roadster Brabus
via carbase.com

Just like other Smart models, the Roadster was available in two versions tuned by Brabus. The Bottrop-based tuning studio bumped the power output of the rear-mounted turbocharged 0.7-liter three-cylinder engine (no, there aren't any typos there) to 99 hp. While that didn't make the Roadster a pocket rocket, it’s certainly a fun, unusual car to drive.

RELATED: Brabus Ultimate E Facelift Is A (Smart Fortwo) Super Pocket Rocket

2 1958 Renault Caravelle

1958 Renault Caravelle
via classiccarmag,net

In case you haven't already gotten this impression, Renault used to have a real affinity for rear-engined cars. But that's not where the fun facts end; the Caravelle was developed specifically for the U.S. market with the goal to improve Renault's image.

1958 Renault Caravelle
via pinterest.com

Based on the Dauphine compact car, the Caravelle was offered both as a hardtop coupe and a convertible. It was powered by a few four-cylinder engines that all had around 1.0L of displacement and made around 50 horsepower.

While these numbers sound pathetic today, the 1,812-pound Caravelle's performance was similar to the Triumph Spitfire – albeit, with a touch of French elegance.

RELATED: The Renault Project 900: A Backwards Concept Car

1 1963 Abarth Simca 2000

Abarth Simca 2000
Via: Abarth JP

While Simca is a largely forgotten manufacturer now, it was one of the leading French car companies back in the day. It was founded in 1934 in collaboration with FIAT and mostly manufactured rebadged FIAT cars for the French market.

Abarth Simca 2000
via reddit.com

Simca peaked in the early 1960s with its range of small, rear-engine sports coupes. And the Abarth Simca 2000 was the coolest one. Developed in collaboration with Turin-based racing specialists Abarth, it was powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four, rated for 202 hp, and had a top speed of 168 mph –- not too shabby for a tiny European sports car in the ‘60s.

NEXT: Here’s How Tesla Saved The Rear-Engine Sports Cars