Why is the engine of a Ferrari on its rear side?

It's for handling. Putting the engine between the wheels, and subsequently, closer to the drive wheels (the wheels that propel the car) means that more weight is over the drive wheels, which increases traction so it can accelerate faster. read more

The engine is not in the back, it's a mid-engine configuration. The engine is behind the driver but in front of the rear axle. A rear engine configuration behind the rear axle, such as old VW Beetles, Corvairs, and Porsche 912 and 911. read more

The engine features direct fuel injection, which is a first for Ferrari mid-engine setups in its road cars. Transmission Edit. The only transmission available on the 458 is a dual-clutch 7-speed Getrag gearbox, in a different state of tune shared with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. read more