Maybe use the Lamborghini Countach (or Roadkill's Stubby Bob) as inspiration: use a conventional engine and transmission except flip them around front to back, connect the transmission output shaft to a boat V-drive, then have a driveshaft running to the rear to connect to a conventional differential. One potential advantage is it puts the transmission close to the driver which simplifies shift linkage.
In reply to DrMikeCSI :
money
Mugglesworth said:In reply to DrMikeCSI :
money
Unfortunately, yes. $15-20K solves the problem the right way but is just too much for most of us, me included.
In reply to mainlandboy :
That has 8 wheels. 
4 tandem 225/45R18s in front and 4 dually 245/40R18s in back (I think). I want a car that is over tired verses under and this winds up with around a 14" tire patch on 8" wheels each side in front and 15.5" tire patch on 9" wheels in back. It's been so long that it's hard to remember what I drew.
So far it is front engined and rear wheel drive but if there was a junk yard solution, I would consider mid-engined.
Brakes on all axles. I started dreaming this up long before the C5 Vette showed up and it's stock drivetrain layout and suspension design would be perfect for this thing (I'm not smart enough to design suspensions and I can't find any 3D cad drawings of the C5 suspension plus I have no access to one to measure and draw my own.
All because of the Tyrrell P34 and Panther 6 back in the 70s. The Panther 6 had all of that twin turbo 500ci Cadillac wonder sitting on the rear tires and the combined front contact patch was larger than the rear's so it was a little more than tail happy.
www.hagerty.co.uk: The epic challenge of building a Tyrrell P34 six-wheel F1 continuation car
In reply to mainlandboy :
Here's the part about Ackerman that someone pointed out and made me rethink everything, or maybe just overthink everything.
Pneumatic tires create grip as a function of slip angles. There has to be a slip angle for grip to be generated. This slip angle is a function not only of the tires' construction but also the vertical load on the tire.
The ideal slip angle will be different for the inside and outside tire, as a result.
What's best for a low speed parking lot maneuver is going to be different than what is best at high lateral forces.
I was thinking of this when I was reading about complaints with a newer Corvette that would jump and bark the front tires in parking lot maneuvers. The steering geometry is geared more for high lateral loads than turning into a parking space, which is what perfect Ackerman will get you.
Part of what people talk about with respect to the dynamic handling changes they see by playing with caster, I think may largely be because of steering angle changes caused by moving the steering arm higher or lower, affecting bump steer, which will affect the way the steering angles change under load...
Some years ago Mopar Action (RIP) had a photo of a mid-60's Can-Am car using a homebuilt transaxle. I think it used a 426 Hemi. They used a 9" Ford differential with a Mopar 4-speed transmission using custom-cast housings to hold the assembly together. It seems to me that if someone was willing to do the CAD/CAM for such a thing you could probably sell those housings made from billet or have a limited production run of castings made then finished on a CNC mill.
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