Though the Porsche 911 currently holds dominion over the rear-engined car market, there have been a smattering of RR machines from marques like Chevrolet, Alfa, and Renault over the past half-century. Even the iconic DeLorean had its engine sitting on top of its rear wheels, and while that configuration is now widely-deemed as inefficient and occasionally dangerous, it’s different, and different is intriguing.

The most modern of these has to be the stunning Renault Alpine A610. Boasting a 2.9-liter, turbocharged V6, this stylish ’90s racer had all the makings for a serious sports car. However, good looks and 280 horsepower weren’t enough to make this a major hit. Though the A610 garnered a reputation for great handling, but only managed to sell 818 cars. Its lack of success is still a mystery to most people. More successful, though somewhat tarnished by legal issues surrounding the company founder, is the DeLorean DMC-12.

While the DeLorean could hit 88 mph, it took a while to get there.

The star of Back to the Future also featured a motor from Renault, though this particular 2.8-liter V6 made a paltry 130 horsepower. For a car that weighed as much as the stainless steel DMC-12 did, this power-to-weight ratio was laughable: the car took 8.8 seconds to reach sixty. Interestingly, Mr. DeLorean’s involvement in a drug sting actually boosted car sales after his arrest. To this day, the space-age DeLorean is a cult classic, and for good reason.

Completing the remainder of this list are a selection of classic, lightweight sports cars, including the Skoda 130RS, Abarth Simca, Renault 8 Gordini and the Fiat 695 Abarth SS. Vintage and svelte, all of these machines weigh under the 2,000 pound-mark, and don’t need much power to succeed in vintage club racing. The odd machine out of this group is the Chevrolet Corvair, which in 1965, was included among a short list of cars deemed by Ralph Nader to be too dangerous for the roads. The rear-engine design and swing axle suspension design allowed for lift-off oversteer, and though the problems were eventually remedied, the bad publicity killed sales. Since the 911 is the only major rear-engine offering these days, the seven machines featured here will have you yearning for the past.