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Interesting posts to this question...
I won't say midengine cars are easier or more difficult to drive, but the physics of distribution of weight makes mid-engine cars more responsive. To use Randy's analogy of the hammer, it takes a lot more force to spin a hammer around the mid point of the handle and an equal amount of force to stop it spinning.
Worse is a 2 headed hammer like a 944 with engine in front and tranny in the rear, the equal to a dumbbell.
In comparison the major elements of mass in a mid-engine car are near the center of gravity (CG). This differentiates weight distribution versus weight placement. It takes much much less force to get it to spin and equally little force to get it to stop spinning.
So, in real life the driver experiences a rapid transition from stable to a spin in a mid-engine car (but typically at much high lateral g-force) and equally faster recovery and equal ease in over correcting. The big benefit is rapid response and changes in direction (little force needed to rotate).
Kiyoshi
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