The Ukranian BMT-72 - Insanity.

[MarkSheppard]

The russians have actually looked at the engine in front idea, and rejected it because of damage to the engine in case of a penetrating hit.

They wanted a tank which can drive from East Germany to France, despite being knocked out and having their crews killed 3-4 times; a lot of minor hits can kill a lot of the crew, without significantly impairing the tank's mobility or firepower; allowing it to be repaired and put back into action once more after hosing out the dead crew.

Replacing an entire engine compartment after it took a APDFS round and stopped it is a bit more complicated than slapping armor plate over a 105mm APDFS hole and repairing spall damage in the driver's compartment...