Patent ID: 8714295

Claim:
A motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine mounted in a central tunnel of a vehicle floor pan of the motor vehicle, the internal combustion engine comprising: an engine block assembly having a lower end closed by an oil pan and an upper end extending at an angle α relative to the lower end from a rear of the engine block assembly to a front thereof, such that the upper end of the engine block assembly is angled relative to the lower end of the engine block assembly; an engine block closing the upper end of the engine block assembly and defining a crankcase that is configured to house a crankshaft for rotation therein; and a cylinder housing assembly reclined from vertical, towards the rear of the engine block, about an axis of the crankshaft by an angle β, wherein at least a portion of the cylinder housing assembly and the crankcase are disposed in the central tunnel of the vehicle floor pan; wherein at least one balance shaft is offset from the crankshaft towards the front of the engine block assembly and away from the central tunnel and supports a balance shaft drive pulley thereon.