GM CERV II - Two transmission for AWD - anyone else try this?

For the longest time, I have kept an eye out for more detail behind GM's CERV II (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) AWD system. Most articles talk about the history of the CERV program and Duntov's involvement, the lightness of the car, the engine and finally just a bleep about using 2 powerglide transmissions, one for the front axel and the other for the rear. This is the best article I have come to find

First off, the idea of two automatics connected to one engine (mid) sounds a bit more novel than break through to me, especially 2 speed powerglides. But it does have a simple elegance and if Zora thought it was worth building, it probably was. The hydraulic coupling of the converters allow different torque curves to be engineered front to back from the same engine input under acceleration. The article I linked above talks about the two different converters chosen.

I've read about twin engine cars ( aka Tiger Z100) that use two manual trans or two autos, so that any change in torque requirement to each axle (wheel slip, cornering, etc) doesn't compete, since the engines are decoupled from each other.

Yet, I haven't seen any other examples similar to the CERV II with just one engine and two transmissions. Have you?

The Ferrari FF actually uses an AWD setup with 2 separate transmissions. The front is actually more of a transaxle, with 2-speeds driven off the front of the crankshaft, while the rear axle is powered by a 7-speed DCT.

In reply to NickD:

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Sadly, I "now" remember seeing an auto channel commentary about this setup. I don't know why it didn't stick, guess I'm getting old.

<a href="http://www.whyhighend.com/ferrari-

4rm.html">Here is some detail to read on the how of the Ferrari 4RM

It will be interesting to see if anyone tried something similar in a homebrew. I feel like I once saw a hydrostatic setup to the front wheels of some offroad vehicle. Can't find it now.

The 408 4RM of the 80's was the predecessor of the FF's system, but I found little detail describing the similarities/differences. An excerpt from R&T seems to indicate the slipping clutches of the FF replaced the 408's "parallel hydraulic coupling".

The FF system is also questionable as AWD, it's more like RWD With Light Front Assist, as the system is only active in lower gears and only capable of 20% power to the front wheels.